One True Team
by Zero2-the-scyther
Summary: The Wildcats join up with the Bladebreakers to become the ultimate team. but when they join up, they become more than just teammates....pairings between Kai and oc, Ray and oc, Tyson and oc, and Max and oc. STORY COMPLETED
1. Meet the Wildcats intro

-this is my first fanfic..and don't sue me..I don't own Beyblade.but I do own the other characters-enjoy~~~ send me ur reviews *****  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
One True Team  
  
  
  
Introduction-  
  
Name: Lexis  
  
Eye color- navy blue  
  
Hair color- dark brown; long straight hair  
  
Clothing- sleeveless green shirt, black capris  
  
Description- Lexis is the leader of her team the Wildcats. She can be very serious and always encourages her teammates. She can be nice sometimes and never gives up. She attacks strongly with her beyblade and always listens to her teammates for advice.  
  
Beyblade type- attack  
  
Bit-beast- Jaguarah; a jaguar  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Name: Saber  
  
Eye color- cobalt blue  
  
Hair color- chestnut brown; ponytail or braid (usually it's a braid)  
  
Clothing- black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, black sports pants  
  
Description- Saber is the cheerful one in the team. She always cheers people up and can be very serious. However, she has one fiery temper and will beat people up with her karate moves when annoyed. She has a reputation for being a vicious blader because her beyblade can be as vicious as she can.  
  
Beyblade- attack  
  
Bit-beast- Panthera; a black panther  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Name: Terri  
  
Eye color- violet  
  
Hair color- black; short and down to her neck  
  
Clothing- blue sleeveless shirt, loose black pants  
  
Description- Terri is the second most cheerful person next to Saber. She takes things seriously and doesn't fool around. She is the nicest person in the team and is always prepared for anything. She uses violent moves when beyblading only if she needs to.  
  
Beyblade- Endurance/Defence  
  
Bit-beast- Cougarah; brown cougar  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Name: Solo  
  
Eye color- black  
  
Hair color- black/red highlights; long and in a ponytail  
  
Clothing- collared black slim sleeveless shirt, black baggy pants  
  
Description- Solo is the quietest person in the team. Though she is quiet, she is very calm and hardly acts friendly. She is a black belt in karate/martial arts and is very mysterious. However, she has one wicked beyblade and shows her opponents no mercy in her attacks.  
  
Beyblade- attack  
  
Bit-beast- Bengalion; a powerful tiger  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Well~~ that was my intro...please send in your reviews and tell me which Wildcat would pair up best with Tyson, Max, Ray, and Kai. Thanx and enjoy! Send in those reviews!!!!!!! 


	2. The Bladebreakers meet the Wildcats

One True Team  
  
  
  
  
  
*keep those reviews coming for the pairings ppl!!!!!  
  
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"Argh! Why did we go all the way here to Russia for? We already came here before and I'm soooo tired!"  
  
"Quiet, Tyson! Can't you see that we just came here for another event? Mr. Dickenson called us here especially."  
  
The Bladebreakers had traveled all the way to Russia for a very special event. Unfortunately, Tyson, a kid with blue hair and a blue and red baseball cap, had jet lag and was already falling asleep. The smaller kid with the orange hair and glasses, aka Kenny/Chief, was trying his best to keep him awake.  
  
"Gosh, I've never seen Tyson this grouchy before," Max whispered to Ray. He had blond hair and blue eyes.  
  
"Yeah I know," answered Ray. He had black hair and bright orange colored eyes. "He practically yelled at the waiter for not asking him if he wanted dessert."  
  
The Bladebreakers were at the Russian airport, and was waiting for Mr. Dickenson to show up. A phone rang. Kenny absent-mindedly picked up his cell phone. "Hello? Yes.oh.I see.sure.we'll see you there. Guys, that was Mr. Dickenson. He said he would meet us at this hotel."  
  
"Finally! Russia, here we come!" Tyson yelled as he picked up his luggage and started running. Unfortunately, his baggage was too heavy and he tripped, almost bumping into a girl. Looking up from the floor, he laughed nervously. "Uh.sorry.my bad."  
  
"No prob," answered the longhaired girl. "You're Tyson from the Bladebreakers, right?"  
  
"Huh? How did you know who I am?"  
  
"Well, see ya." The brown haired girl walked away, disappearing into a crowd of people. Tyson sat on the floor, dazed. Max, Ray, and Kenny ran over to him.  
  
"Hey! You okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess. Say, where's Kai?"  
  
* * * * * * Kai watched a couple of kids beyblade in the airport. He saw his team and walked towards them. Man, they are embarrassing, he thought. He had blue/grayish hair and dark brown eyes. His white scarf trailed behind him.  
  
Soon, with the directions from Kenny, the team started walking down the street, watching many people beybattle.  
  
"Hey, look over there." Ray pointed to a crowd.  
  
"I wonder what they're looking at," Max wondered out loud.  
  
"Let's go find out!" Tyson ran into the crowd. The crowd's gaze was fixed on to two bladers. One was a guy with neon green hair. He had an earring on one ear and wore a leather jacket. The other was a girl who was wearing a black baseball cap and was dressed in black. She had spiky bangs and a brown ponytail. The guy laughed.  
  
"Honestly, you're wasting my time! I don't even know why I picked you to battle, but oh well. This is the way we welcome foreigners. Get ready to lose, baby." The girl frowned, her eyes narrowing.  
  
"You better shut up or start crying," she said coldly.  
  
3.2.1.let it rip!  
  
Both beyblades spun into the dish. The girl's black beyblade curved, and then knocked the guy's neon green beyblade right out of the dish. Everyone gasped as the broken blade dropped on to the floor. "No one had ever beaten that guy before," somebody whispered in the crowd.  
  
"Whoa." Tyson breathed. Then the girl did the strangest thing. She took the elastic band off her ponytail, braided her hair into one long braid, and then caught her flying beyblade. Everyone stepped back as she walked away. She walked towards the Bladebreakers. Ray gulped as her cobalt blue eyes stared into his orange eyes.  
  
"Hi Ray. Glad to see you in person. I'll catch you later, B. Breakers." She walked out of the crowd and disappeared.  
  
"Who was that?" Max asked Ray.  
  
"I don't know, but whoever it was, she sure has one vicious beyblade."  
  
"Hey look, there's another crowd over there." Tyson ran over to that crowd as well. There was no one battling at the moment but everyone was pointing to the dish.  
  
"Look at that!" The round dish in the middle was completely scratched. Deep scratch marks and cracked debris completely covered the broken dish. There were also parts of what seemed to be a beyblade scattered among the dish. Murmurs and whispering were spreading among the crowd. "Look, there's the girl who did this," someone said. Kai looked up. He stared at a black haired girl with red highlights and a ponytail. She looked extremely pretty but at the same time deadly. She was dressed in a black high collar sleeveless shirt, and black pants. Her eyes suddenly focused on Kai's stare.  
  
"I'll battle with you, Kai, when we meet again." She turned her back and disappeared into the crowd. Kai shook his head.  
  
"We should go this way." Kenny walked right down the street, and then turned left down the corner. "There!"  
  
"Wow!" Everyone looked at the building. It was a large hotel. "Guess we have to stay there and go in to look for Mr. Dickenson."  
  
"Alright! Now you're talking Kenny!" Tyson took his luggage and started running into the hotel. For the second time, due to his heavy baggage, he took three steps and tripped over his luggage once again. Everyone in the hotel stared at him as if he was some kind of alien from Mars.  
  
"Oh boy." Max picked up Tyson's luggage as Kenny checked in with the secretary. Once they have dumped their luggage into their HUGE hotel room, the 5 teens walked down the hall in search of Mr. Dickenson.  
  
"Oh man, where is he?" asked Tyson. Max looked around.  
  
"Excuse me, but do you know where we can find Mr. Dickenson?" he asked a shorthaired girl. The girl had violet eyes, black hair, a blue sleeveless shirt and loose black pants.  
  
"Oh, you must be Max from the Bladebreakers."  
  
"Why does everyone know who we are?"  
  
"Shut up Tyson!"  
  
"This way please." The Bladebreakers followed the girl down to the third floor and knocked on Room 307. "Mr. Dickenson? The Bladebreakers have arrived."  
  
"Send them in." Tyson, Max, Ray, Kai, and Kenny walked into the hotel room. After taking 3 steps, they stopped in their places.  
  
"What the?"  
  
"It's you guys." Standing beside Mr. Dickenson were 3 other girls. The first one with long brown hair, blue eyes, black capris and green sleeveless shirt, was the same girl Tyson had bumped into at the airport. The second one with the brown braid and black outfit/cap, was the girl they had seen on the streets, who had beaten the neon-haired guy. The third one with the black/red highlighted ponytail, black collared sleeveless shirt and black baggy pants, was the same girl who had damaged and trashed the dish and beyblade on the street. The Bladebreakers gasped.  
  
"So I believe you have already met the Wildcats," said Mr. Dickenson.  
  
"Well, yeah, kind of." Answered Ray.  
  
"This is what I want you two teams to do: you two teams are to unite as one and battle as pairs in the Team Pairs Championship. Each blader must pair up with another blader in the opposite team and battle together against other competitors."  
  
"It'll be a pleasure to join up with you," said the shorthaired girl.  
  
"By the way, let me introduce you to the Wildcats. To my left is Lexis, the captain of the Wildcats, and Saber, who is the most vicious blader around. They don't call her Saber for nothing. Next to Saber is Solo, the quietest blader in this team but also one of the most merciless as well, and behind you, is Terri, the gentle-list of the Wildcats but the most powerful defender. These are the Bladerbreakers: there's Tyson, the world champion who had beaten Tala, Max, defence-master extrodinaire, Ray, the blader who is always reliable and is one smart attacker, and Kai, the captain of the bladebreakers and one invincible blader. Please try to get along with each other-"  
  
"Oh I'm sure we'll get along just fine," Saber replied slyly. Lexis grinned as Terri smirked. Solo remained the same: emotionless.  
  
"Well, let's get to work!" Tyson said happily.  
  
"Righty-o!" And so, the two teams unite as one!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
What do you think so far ppl? Okay? Boring? Could be better? Keep sending ideas of which wildcat should pair up with Ray, Tyson, Kai, and Max!!!!! Thanx! Reviews wanted!!!!!! 


	3. Let's have a friendly match

One True Team  
Sorry I update sooooo slow!!!!!!! Have a lot of hw to do! Plus my parents don't always let me on computer and lessons! Thanx for the reviews!!!!  
"Alright! What should we do now???" asked Lexis.  
  
"Well, here are the Bladebreakers. And we're the Wildcats. I say we test them out in a friendly match to see who's better," Saber laughed, cracking her knuckles. Kenny shivered at the sight of her.  
  
"Alright!!!!!" cheered Tyson. "Now, let's see.who should I take on?"  
  
"That would be me," Lexis answered. "You wanna go now?"  
  
"Uhh."  
  
"I'll go first Tyson," Ray said, stepping up.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hey. At least you can go second." Ray took out Driger. Saber whistled.  
  
"Nice blade. Too bad I'm gonna beat you." Saber smirked.  
  
"Uh oh!" Terri whispered to Lexis. "Looks like Saber has her claws on Ray." Lexis chuckled.  
  
"Let's go in here then." Lexis and the gang went down a floor to the basement and opened the metal door. "This is where the beybladers come to train." Inside the room were a couple of polished dishes, some ramps and jumps, and some serious beyblade workout equipment. Saber and Ray walked forward to a dish, taking out their ripcords, launchers, and beyblades. Ray watched as Saber took out a pure black beyblade. Then the two players got into position.  
  
3.2.1.Let it Rip!  
  
Both players ripped their beyblades and the two beyblades flew into the dish. Driger chased Saber's beyblade around the dish.  
  
"You have a very good speed Saber. But it's not fast enough to stop Driger. Tiger Claw Attack!" Saber just simply smiled.  
  
"Dodge it Panthera!" Panthera slid on to the other side as Driger missed it.  
  
"Oh no! GO DRIGER!" Driger rose out of its beyblade, growling. It attacked Panthera, knocking the beyblade away. Saber growled.  
  
"I've had enough of playing games! Panthera, attack!" A black panther with sharp teeth and claws rose out of the beyblade. Everyone just stared at it. Kenny quickly typed three times faster, commanding Dizzy to analyze its moves.  
  
"Tiger claw attack!"  
  
"Scythe claw attack!" both bit-beasts lunged at each other. Sparks flew off the beyblades.  
  
"This should make it a bit more interesting," Saber smirked. "Black night illusion!" The entire dish turned black and was as dark as night. The only thing they could see was a green Driger. Everything else was camouflaged in black. Tyson and Max gasped.  
  
"This is some kind of illusion!" Max cried.  
  
"Do something Ray!" Tyson yelled.  
  
"I can't!" Ray shouted back. "I can't even see where her beyblade is! Both her beyblade and her bit-beast are black! So they're hidden!" Saber laughed.  
  
"Time to end this! Night Cat attack!" There was a binding light as the darkness disappeared. Ray gasped. Driger was on the dish, beaten while Panthera was still spinning. Saber leaped into the dish and picked up both beyblades. She smiled at both of them, and then walked towards Ray.  
  
"You put up a good fight Ray. I'm glad I battled you," Saber smiled as she put Driger into Ray's hand. Ray looked up at her, his face blushing.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks. I really like your bit-beast."  
  
"Alright, I'm second!" Tyson yelled. "Ready?" Lexis took out her orange beyblade and went into position.  
  
"Ready."  
  
3.2.1.Let it Rip!  
  
Both beyblade rammed into the dish as sparks flew off.  
  
"It's time to end this! Dragoon attack!"  
  
"You want to end this already? Oh wow. Jaguarah attack!" Dragoon rose out of its beyblade as a jaguar, or Jagurah, rose up out of the orange beyblade. "Jaguar Paw Scratch!"  
  
"Phantom Hurricane attack!" Both beyblades went zooming at each other and crashed at top speed. Both Lexis and Tyson gasped as the binding light from the collision of the bit-beasts covered their eyes. As the light dawned, everyone could see that one beyblade was down while the other was still spinning. Tyson saw that his blade was down while Lexis's was still up. He frowned.  
  
"Argh! I lost!! I can't believe it!!!!"  
  
"It's okay Tyson," Lexis comforted him. "You are really some good competition. I think the only reason why you lost is because you just arrived to Russia and is still trying to get used to it." She extended her hand to him. "That was a good battle." Tyson smiled as he shook her hand.  
  
"Thanks pal. The good thing about you is that you have good sportsmanship. Next time, I'll cream you!" Both Lexis and Tyson laughed.  
  
"Who's next?"  
  
"That would be me," said Solo. She glared at each blader on the opposite team. "Which one of you is going to battle me?"  
  
"How about you?" Terri pointed to Kai, who was staring at Solo.  
  
"Yeah," said Solo. "I DID say I would battle you when we meet again."  
  
"No thanks," Kai mumbled. "Besides, how do I know how good you are?" Solo's eyes narrowed even more.  
  
"Whoa!" Saber said to Lexis. "He actually dared to say that to Solo!"  
  
"I know."  
  
"Try me," Solo retorted. She took out a black and red beyblade that matched her ponytail and held it up. The blade gleamed in the light. Kai looked a bit more interested once he looked at her and the beyblade.  
  
"Fine," he muttered. "But you're just wasting my time."  
  
"We'll see," Solo shot back. Both bladers got into position.  
  
3.2.1.Let It Rip!!!  
  
The beyblades flew off the launchers and landed in the dish. Immediately, Solo's blade started attacking Dranzer while Dranzer started to attack Solo's blade as well. Both beyblades were now head-on-head in attacking, not even showing any sympathy.  
  
"Enough toying around!" Kai said. "Dranzer, attack!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Go Bengalion!" A huge tiger rose out of Solo's blade as Dranzer appeared. "Tiger Pounce Tackle!"  
  
"Flame Saber!" Both attacks made the beyblades fly back. Solo growled as Kai grinded his teeth.  
  
"You are a good blader Kai," Solo murmured. "But I'm improving to your level! Bengalion, Bengal Tiger Scratch!"  
  
"Dranzer, counter attack!" The bowl started to crack as both blades rammed at each other. Then the dish broke apart, forming dust and smoke. For 5 seconds, nobody could see anything due to the dust. As the dust cleared, Solo and Kai could see that both beyblades were down in the broken dish. Absentmindedly, both went to get their blades, which were lying together in the middle. As Kai and Solo reached for their blades, their fingers touched. Kai looked at Solo, who stared back at him. Both turned away from each other, grabbed their blades, and walked away.  
  
"Wow! What a battle!" It was Mr. Dickenson. "Alright, listen up. Here are the best battle pairs for the team: Tyson, you're going to be with Lexis."  
  
"Alright!" Lexis and Tyson slapped high-fives, then grinned like a pair of Siamese cats.  
  
"Max, you're going to be best paired up with Terri."  
  
"Yeah!" Terri and Max also slapped high-fives. Even though the two didn't battle, both of them had similar interests and respected each other.  
  
"Ray, you're going to be with Saber."  
  
"Oh nice! This is going to be cool!" Saber cheered as Ray laughed. The two shook hands.  
  
"And Kai, you're going to be with Solo."  
  
"." There was silence from both of them. Kai and Solo simply nodded at each other in agreement and crossed their arms.  
  
"Alright!" Tyson yelled. "Let's start practicing-" He was interrupted by a loud growling from his stomach. Everyone looked at him with an Anime sweat drop. "Right after we eat that is!"  
  
"Let's go!" Tyson and Lexis ran off to a the café in the hotel.  
  
"Ah, Tyson these days," Max laughed. Shaking his head.  
  
"Don't you mean Lexis these days?" Terri giggled.  
  
"Okay fine! Tyson and Lexis these days." Both teens laughed as they walked out the door.  
  
"Race you there, Ray!" Saber challenged him. She had on a challenging expression on her face and smiled slyly. Ray responded with a challenging glare.  
  
"You're on!" he yelled. Both of them charged out the door, laughing as they ran. Kenny followed Mr. Dickenson out the door, leaving Kai and Solo behind. Both of them just nodded at each other, then walked out silently. Kai was glad that Solo was his teaming partner because he didn't want someone who would be loud. Solo was quiet, which was good. Solo was glad that Kai was her teammate because she had wanted to battle and partner with someone who had good attack skills. Not to mention he was quiet.  
  
"Nice bit-beast you have there," Solo said. "Are you the captain of the Bladebreakers?"  
  
"Yeah. After lunch, you and I have serious training and practicing to do," Kai replied. Solo nodded.  
  
"Come on guys!" Tyson yelled. "Hurry up already!"  
  
Soon, the Wildcats and the Bladebreakers sat down at one table eating. Tyson was already on his fifth helping when the rest of the team finished their seconds.  
  
"Tell me something," Terri said to Max. "Does Tyson ever stop eating?"  
  
"Well, he will after a few more helpings," Max said. "But I'm already full and he's still on his sixth helping."  
  
"Alright," Ray said. "Are you ready to practice after lunch?"  
  
"Yeah," Saber answered. "Then maybe we can go see the sights or something. Oh I know! We can go skiing and snowboarding. There's a lot of good ski resorts and mountains around Russia since it's always cold."  
  
"You ready?" Solo asked Kai. Kai nodded and stood up. "We're going to start practicing first," Solo told Lexis. "Enjoy your lunch." Then she walked with Kai to the elevator.  
  
"Looks like Solo's cooperating with someone at last," Saber whispered to Lexis.  
  
"Kai's quiet and so is she. Guess they'll make quite a good pair after all," Lexis said. "Tyson, you ready?"  
  
"Yeah, after I get dessert," Tyson said, running off to the buffet table. Lexis had to laugh.  
  
"We're going to go down too," Ray said. "Saber and I are going down to the training room. You guys can continue eating."  
  
"Yeah," Saber replied.  
  
"Hey, wait for us!" Max said.  
  
"Yeah, we'll go with you too." Terri stood up. "Sorry Lexis, guess you're on your own."  
  
"That's okay. I'll see you later. What about you Kenny?" Lexis asked.  
  
"I'll go down with Ray, Saber, Terri and Max so Dizzy and I can analyze their moves and help them practice." Together, Kenny, Ray, Saber, Max and Terri walked away from the table. Lexis sighed. Sure she liked Tyson, but if only he would hurry up with the dessert.  
  
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"Let it rip!" Solo yelled as she ripped her beyblade into the dish. Kai also ripped his. Both beyblades spun into action.  
  
"Turn on the virtual beyblades, Kai," Solo said as she slipped on the virtual helmet. Kai pressed a button on the control box and slipped on a virtual helmet as well. With the helmets, they could see and control their own beyblades and they could also see two other virtual beyblades.  
  
"Let's try this. Dranzer! Circle around the dish!"  
  
"You too, Bengalion! Circle around the opposite side of the bowl!" Both beyblades cooperated as the virtual beyblades stayed in the middle.  
  
"Alright, now Bengalion! Charge towards the middle at the same time Dranzer does and crash into both beyblades!"  
  
"Okay, Dranzer! Now!" Both beyblades from both sides spun towards the middle and crashed into the virtual beyblades. The virtual beyblades wobbled.  
  
"Now, we're on our own. Bengalion, Tiger Pounce Tackle!" The virtual beyblade spun out of the dish.  
  
"Flame saber attack!" The other virtual beyblade also left the dish. Solo grinned one of her rare smiles.  
  
"That was okay for a start."  
  
"Yeah, but it needs to be perfect."  
  
"Hey guys!" Saber yelled to Solo. Solo raised an eyebrow at her as she took off the helmet.  
  
"How bout we go skiing and snowboarding after we practice?" Solo and Kai both shrugged absentmindedly.  
  
"I take that as a yes," Ray murmured. "Let's start practicing."  
  
"Yeah," Terri said.  
  
"When's Tyson ever going to come down?" Max moaned.  
  
"Quit your complaining! I'm right here!" Tyson and Lexis walked into the room as everyone started practicing. Solo and Kai were surprisingly cooperating the fastest. They were so far the best attacking pair. Saber and Ray were almost as good, but needed timing on their own attack strategies. Max and Terri were okay at their defense plan, and Lexis and Tyson had figured out an attack plan, but needed to practice it. As for Kenny, he had managed to fix and make up some ways of attacking two blades at once. After 3 hours of practice, Tyson yawned.  
  
"I'm so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open," he groaned. It was 7pm already, and they were at dinner. Even though he was tired, Tyson still managed to eat 8 dishes.  
  
"Guess we'll go skiing first thing in the morning," Saber announced. "Right Ray?" Ray looked up at her surprisingly, then lowered his eyes onto the ground, face flushing.  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"Alright!" Tyson yelled. Lexis laughed.  
  
"Just remember to wake up Tyson first," Max said.  
  
"I know," Terri giggled.  
  
"Ready when you are," Solo told Kai. Kai looked away, but his face was pink.  
  
"Yeah. Whatever."  
Well wat did u think ppl? Send in those reviews!!!! 


	4. One Majestic Ski Trip!

One True Team  
Thanx for the reviews. I really enjoyed reading them!!!! Sorry for keeping so many readers in suspense cuz I update sooooooooooo slow......... Sorry! I'll try to update quicker next time!!!!  
"Rise and shine!" Lexis said out loud the next day.  
  
It was morning and the Wildcats were still sleeping. Except for Lexis that is. They were in their large hotel room, which they were . . . uh. . . sharing with the Bladebreakers. The hotel room had one room on either side: one for the Bladebreakers and the other for the Wildcats. The room connecting these two rooms was a large living room with a TV, fridge (for Tyson), a couple of couches, and a table. Lexis looked at her sleeping teammates, and sighed. She walked next to Saber's bed and lowered her head to Saber's ear.  
  
"WAKE UP ALREADY!!!!!!!"  
  
"Ai-yah!" Saber sat up quickly like the speed of lightning, her hair a mess, and her black PJ's ruffled. "What happened? Who died? Who got murdered?"  
  
"Nobody, dum-dum," Lexis sighed.  
  
"For a minute there," Terri yawned as she got off her bed. "I thought you were Jackie Chan's Uncle, from the Jackie Chan Adventures." Lexis and Terri laughed at the now red-faced Saber.  
  
"Sure sure, whatever," she muttered as she jumped out of bed. Solo was already fully dressed when Lexis looked at her again.  
  
"Are we skiing today, Lex?" Saber asked as she came out of the bathroom in her black clothes.  
  
"Yeah, I think so. So, Solo, what do you think of Kai as a teammate?" Lexis asked. Solo looked up quickly, startled for a second, then looked down at her feet.  
  
"He's okay," she mumbled. Saber nudged Lexis, a sly grin on her face.  
  
"Hey, I think Solo has a thing for Kai," she said in a song-like voice. But the moment she said the word Kai, she was on the floor. And Solo was grasping her neck, fist held high above Saber's head, ready to strike.  
  
"Solo!" Terri exclaimed. "You DO know that this is a hotel." Solo looked down at the freaked-out-Saber.  
  
"I was just kidding Solo. Really!" she piped up. Solo glared at her, then lowered her fist but pulled Saber up to her feet with her other hand.  
  
"You better watch what you say, Saber," she warned. "Or I'm going to bust you by telling Ray you have a crush on him." Saber moaned. How did she know about Ray?  
  
"Fine fine fine!" With that, Lexis, Saber, Solo, and Terri walked out of the room to the living room. Ray and Kai were in the living room, but Max, Tyson, and Kenny was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Morning Saber!" Ray greeted her. "Morning Wildcats!"  
  
"Morning Ray," everyone said except for Solo and Kai. They just stared at each other, then turned away.  
  
"Say, where's Tyson?" Lexis asked.  
  
"And Max and Kenny?" Terri added. Ray sighed.  
  
"Max and Kenny are trying to wake up Tyson. We've tried waking him up with the TV, alarm clock, and radio. But he's not budging. Check it out." Lexis, Saber, and Terri popped in their heads into the boys' room. Even Terri had to blink back when she saw Max and Kenny trying to wrestle Tyson out of the bed. Tyson was yelling, "Just give me 10 more minutes!" while Max and Kenny were yelling back, "We already gave you 20 minutes!". Lexis winked at Saber and Terri, then entered the room. Max and Kenny backed off from the bed as they greeted Lexis good morning.  
  
"Hmmm. . . . . . this should do it." Lexis leaned close to Tyson's ear, then whispered, "Kai and Ray are already downstairs eating your breakfast."  
"WHAT!?!?!?!??!?!?!??!" Tyson sat up in 2 seconds after he heard the message, then looked at Lexis. "Can you get my hat? MAX, WHERE DID I PUT MY CLOTHES??? Kenny, tell Kai and Ray to stop eating the rest of my breakfast!!!!!!" He plunked on his cap and jumped off the bed. Saber, Terri, Max, and Kenny all sweat-dropped as Tyson banged the washroom door. Lexis sighed.  
  
"Wow. He really does take food seriously."  
* * * * * ** * ** * ** * * * * *  
"Wow! Look at all these ski resorts! Let's go to Bobcat Ski Resorts. It's the best place for skiing!" Saber yelled. Ray smiled. The thing he liked about Saber, was that she was always cheerful. Not to mention cute.  
  
"Here we are," Mr. Dickenson said. "You can have the afternoon off and I'll pick you kids up at 3:00. Have fun!" With that, the Wildcats and the Bladebreakers rented snow equipment. Saber, Solo, Ray and Kai rented snowboards while Max, Terri, Lexis, and Tyson rented skis. Kenny had decided to check out the ski resort center and analyze the beyblade pair attacks.  
  
"Alright, this is how you snowboard." Saber demonstrated how to board down the hill. She held Ray's hands to support his balance on a snowboard. By the end of that, both Ray and Saber were blushing and smiling at each other.  
  
"Lean back a bit," Solo told Kai. Kai obeyed as he snowboarded beside Solo. She was really good at it. "Now lean forward a bit like you did before." Kai obeyed but nearly lost his balance. Solo grabbed his arm before he fell and stopped his board. "That was a good try." Kai and Solo both blushed as they realized they were holding onto each other's hand. Kai looked away.  
  
"Yeah sure," he muttered.  
  
"Tyson, watch out for that tree!" Lexis yelled. She skied after the out-of- control-Tyson and pulled him away from the tree before he crashed. Both of them fell onto the ground unhurt.  
  
"Whoa," Tyson sighed. "Gee, thanks Lexis. I would have been a goner if you didn't save me."  
  
"No prob," Lexis smiled. She looked up the hill to where Terri was teaching Max.  
  
"Yes, you got it Max!" Terri cheered, as Max turned left. "You managed to turn perfectly while skiing downhill!" Max laughed as he race Terri down the hill.  
After teaching the Bladebreakers how to ski and snowboard, everyone was having a good time. Saber was the best snowboarder and the best at techniques, tricks, and jumps. Solo was the best racer and also the fastest to race down hills. Lexis skied the fastest and liked to go ski jumping while Terri had the sharpest turns and the best balance. Kai was pretty good on a snowboard, since Solo taught him how to keep his balance. Ray managed to keep his balance and turn sharp and clean. Tyson was still trying not to run into trees or people, but other than that, he would have won 1st place for being the most out-of-control-skier. And Max had learned to ski rather gracefully, like Terri.  
  
Saber had started to snowboard down when suddenly another snowboarder snowboarded right next to her. She growled as she turned sharply and tried to outrun the other snowboarder. But the other snowboarder just smiled. His eyes were hidden behind his black sunglasses, and he had a blue bandana around his head. Ray, who was behind Saber, squinted his eyes at the snowboarder. There was something familiar about that red-haired- snowboarder. As Saber stopped at the ski lift, the red haired snowboarder took off his sunglasses. "Well, if it isn't the great saber-toothed panther herself." Saber gasped in surprise.  
  
"Johnny McGregor!" Saber ran to Johnny and gave him a hug. Ray grinded his teeth in jealousy as he watched Saber hug Johnny. It was Johnny, from the Majestics. Johnny laughed and detached himself from Saber when he spotted Ray.  
  
"Hey Ray! How's it going man?" Johnny extended his hand to Ray, who stiffly shook his hand.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Hey," Saber quipped. "You two know each other?"  
  
"I was going to ask you the same thing," Johnny and Ray said to Saber at the same time. Then the threesome looked at each other and laughed.  
  
"Yeah," said Ray. "I know Johnny from the Majestics. He helped us to get ready for the finals. Thanks for it."  
  
"No problem," Johnny said. "That's how I know Ray. I also know Saber from my hometown. She came to our town at one point to beyblade in a competition. I beated her of course-" Saber growled at this as she playfully slugged Johnny in the head. "OW! Yeah, okay, she lost and then after the match, we became friends."  
  
"I know Ray from the Bladebreakers because we're pairing up to go to the Team Pairs Championships," Saber replied. "And he's the best!" She grabbed Ray's arm and smiled slyly. Ray smiled back. Whew, he thought. Johnny was only her friend.  
  
"So where's Robert, Oliver and Enrique?" asked Ray.  
  
"I was about to ask you where's Tyson, Max and Kai," Johnny said.  
  
"We're right here! Hey Johnny!" Tyson waved as he, Max, Lexis, and Terri walked towards them.  
  
"Hey it's Johnny!" Terri exclaimed quietly. "Johnny, where's Oliver?"  
  
"And where's Enrique?" Lexis asked.  
  
"What about Robert?" Solo asked silently as she and Kai walked towards the group.  
  
"Right here." Turning around, Johnny laughed as Oliver, Enrique, and Robert walked towards them.  
Back at the ski lodge, the Majestics, the Bladebreakers, and the Wildcats were drinking hot chocolate and were sitting on some couches, armchairs and on the floor near the fireplace.  
  
"What are you Wildcats and Bladebreakers doing here?" Robert asked. "Do you guys even know each other?"  
  
"We sure do," Lexis said. "We're teaming up with them for the Team Pairs Championships! How did you guys know the Bladebreakers?"  
  
"We battled them and helped get them ready for the finals against the Demolition Boys," Enrique answered.  
  
"And how did you guys meet the Wildcats?" Kai murmured. Everyone had to look at him because it was the first time he spoken since they met the Majestics in the ski resort.  
  
"It's very simple," Oliver explained. "Johnny met Saber at a competition in his hometown, I met Terri in the Beyblade Arts Festival, Enrique and Lexis both went to the same Beyblade contest and battled, and Robert met Solo during the Beyblade battles. The thing we didn't know about was that they were an entire team. We didn't know that until we battled them as a team much later."  
  
"Wow," Kenny replied.  
  
"It's been quite a long time since we've seen both teams. I think you did very well in the Russian finals Tyson," Robert commented. Tyson grinned crazily.  
  
"Hey, since we're going to be staying here in Russia for just a few more days before going to Europe again, why don't we go to that new club that just opened yesterday tonight? There's going to be a dance there!" Enrique told the Bladebreakers. "It's our treat for both the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats."  
  
"Really?" Ray asked.  
  
"Sure," Oliver replied.  
  
"Why not?" Lexis smiled. "Fine."  
  
"And," Johnny whispered to Kai. "It will be the best opportunity for you and Solo to really know each other." Kai grunted as he looked down at the floor, face flushing.  
  
"Yeah sure, whatever." 


	5. I can't believe we're going to a dance!

One True Team  
*Sorry I update so slow! I was on a school trip and didn't have enough time to update! Well, enjoy and send in those reviews!  
  
% % % % % % % % %  
"Oh wow! I can't believe we're actually going to a dance!" Tyson exclaimed in the hotel room. The Bladebreakers were in their living room in the hotel room. They were dressed in their normal clothes while the Majestics had gone to their own first-class hotel room. The Wildcats were still in their room.  
  
" What are we suppose to do at a dance?" Kenny asked frantically.  
  
"Calm down Kenny," Ray said.  
  
"Yeah," Max added. "It's just a dance. You could bring Dizzy along if you want."  
"Exactly," said Lexis, as she came out of the room. "It's just a dance and it's no big deal you know."  
  
"Argh," yawned Saber. "I'm soo tired from all that snowboarding."  
  
"Same here," Terri agreed. "Say, what's on TV?"  
  
"Nothing interesting," Saber told her. "Eww.it's Barney."  
  
"HOW CAN YOU THINK OF TV AT A TIME LIKE THIS?" Tyson exclaimed.  
  
"EXACTLY!! WE'RE ABOUT TO GO TO OUR FIRST DANCE AND YOU GIRLS ARE THINKING ABOUT TV????" All the girls stared at Tyson and Kenny.  
  
"You mean you've never gone to a dance before?" asked Lexis.  
  
"Does it look like we have?" Tyson sputtered.  
  
"You don't have to necessarily dance at a dance. You could just go there to hang out," Terri told them.  
  
"Yeah," Saber agreed. "I don't always dance at a dance. I can just go there to listen to the music or hangout with friends."  
  
"Oh, and Tyson," Lexis added. "There IS a buffet table there in case you're wondering."  
  
"Okay, when do we leave?" asked an enthusiastic Tyson. Kenny and Ray sweat dropped.  
  
"Let's say now," Lexis said as she headed out the door.  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * *  
"Are we there yet?" asked Kenny. Mr. Dickenson nodded.  
  
"Now, girls and boys, please remember to meet me outside the club at. . . . . . um. . . . . . let's say 10:45, okay?"  
  
"Sure," Tyson replied. "Oh wow, look at it!"  
  
"Oh cool, the club looks totally awesome!" Lexis grinned. "Looks like we're gonna have a good time!" Saber smirked slyly as Terri smiled. Solo, who was sitting at the back of the Bladebreakers' bus, a seat next to Kai, closed her eyes, a faint smile on her face. The bus stopped. Tyson leapt off the bus as soon as the door was opened, running towards the club doors.  
  
"Well, have a good time kids!"  
  
% %  
"This is totally awesome!" Tyson exclaimed. The Bladebreakers and the Wildcats had entered the clubhouse, watching people dancing on the dance floor. The DJ was spinning CD's and other guests were dinning at the buffet.  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's dance!" Saber, who was dragging Ray with her, ran to the dance floor. Lexis, Tyson, Terri, and Max followed. Surprisingly, Tyson didn't complain about wanting to eat first. As for Solo and Kai, they just leaned against the wall, watching everyone dance on the dance floor. Kenny decided to sit at a table to work on some stuff with Dizzy. Ray stared at Saber.  
  
"Umm. . . . . . . what do I do?" he asked embarrassingly.  
  
"Move to the beat," Saber answered as she started moving to the beat. She's actually a good dancer, Ray thought as he watched her dance moves. The DJ was spinning on great rock songs.  
  
"Um. . . . . okay." Ray copied Saber's moves, with Saber helping him the whole way. Pretty soon, he added a few steps of his own to the dance steps Saber taught him.  
  
"Hey, you're doing it!" Saber cheered as Ray danced to the music.  
  
"Thanks!" Ray turned his head. He laughed as he saw Lexis try to teach Tyson how to dance. Max and Terri were hitting it off just fine. He couldn't see Kai or Solo anywhere, so he guessed that they were probably too shy to dance. Pretty soon, Saber and Ray managed to bump into Johnny and Robert. They were also dancing as well. Enrique was trying his best to teach Tyson as well while Oliver chatted with Terri and Max.  
  
"You guys having a good time?" Johnny yelled through the music.  
  
"Oh yeah!" Saber yelled back.  
  
"Say, where's your friend Kai?" Johnny asked Ray.  
  
"I think he's somewhere leaning against the wall," Ray told him.  
  
"You mean Solo's not dancing either?" Robert asked surprisingly.  
  
"Oh no. Solo's probably hanging around Kai as well," Saber replied. Soon, a slow song was played. Johnny nudged Ray in the back.  
  
"Hey, go dance with her," he whispered.  
  
"But how do I slow dance?"  
  
"You hold her by the waist, then you move in time with the beat, slowly," Johnny whispered back. "I'm going to try to fix Kai up with Solo so they can dance together."  
  
"Say, Saber?" Ray started as Johnny walked away.  
  
"Yeah Ray?"  
  
"You. . . . . . want to dance with me?"  
  
"Sure." Ray followed Johnny's instructions and closed his hands around Saber's waist. Saber put her arms around his neck and before they knew it, they were slow dancing. Saber stared into Ray's golden yellow eyes. Ray stared back into Saber's cobalt blue eyes. Both of them smiled.  
  
"You're a good partner and teammate," Saber commented.  
  
"You're a good friend," Ray replied. Turning his head, Ray caught sight of Max dancing with Terri. For some reason, the two of them danced so naturally that you would have thought they danced like this everyday. They also seemed to like each other. Saber stifled a laugh as she saw Tyson dance with Lexis. It looked like Tyson finally got the point, while Lexis looked extremely exhausted. She turned back to Ray.  
  
"Hey Ray," Saber said as she looked around. "Do you think we should give Johnny a hand with Kai and Solo?"  
  
"Yeah," Ray answered. "I think Kai likes Solo, but he just won't admit it."  
  
"Same here with Solo," Saber agreed. "When I mentioned Kai's name, she practically turned pink." Together hand in hand, Ray and Saber walked towards Kai and Solo, who were leaning against the wall. Johnny was standing beside Kai, whispering into his ear while Kai looked totally paranoid.  
  
"Okay, let me get this straight," Kai said slowly. "You want me to dance with Solo?"  
  
"That's Right!" Johnny grinned.  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on! We'll teach you how to slow dance."  
  
"NO."  
  
"But why? Don't you like her?"  
  
"I said NO."  
  
"Hey Kai," Ray said as he walked up to him. "Why don't you and Solo just go have some fun? I know you have a crush on her." Kai glared at him but his face was light pink.  
  
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Saber was persuading Solo to dance with Kai as well.  
  
"Solo! Why don't you go dance with Kai?"  
  
"He doesn't want to, so why should I?"  
  
"Just ask him."  
  
"That's his job. Besides, I don't know how to dance."  
  
"Quit lying! You've danced before, both fast and slow dancing."  
  
". . . . . So?"  
  
"Look, I know you like him, so I want you to be happy with him by dancing with him."  
  
". . . . . . . . . . " Solo looked up when Kai stood in front of her, a very determined look on his face. He extended out a hand towards Solo and had a nervous expression. No words were needed to understand what this meant. Solo stared at his hand, then took her own hand and grasped his. Kai led her to the dance floor, then following Johnny's instructions, just as Ray had done before, placed his hands around Solo's waist, and moved slowly in time with the beat. It was his first time dancing with a girl. Solo held her hands around his neck and moved in time with the beat. She could feel Kai moving really tense and rather nervous, so she smiled at him, something anyone had hardly seen from Solo before. That one smile told Kai that it was all right. He relaxed a bit and closed his eyes. Soon, he found himself enjoying it. Saber and Ray smiled as they watched the couple staring at each other happily. Or what seemed happily. Then they continued dancing.  
  
"Hey look," Terri pointed out. "Is that Solo dancing with Kai?"  
  
"Yeah, I think it is," Max agreed. "I can't believe they actually convinced them to dance with each other. Unless they really DO like each other."  
  
"OH WOW!" Tyson exclaimed quietly. "Lexis, your quiet friend Solo is actually dancing with the old sourpuss."  
  
"Tyson! Kai's not that bad as a sour puss. . . . . . . . is he?" Lexis asked.  
  
"OH yes!" Tyson insisted. A fast song played on as the Bladebreakers, the Wildcats, and the Majestics danced together. Soon, after 6 numbers, Tyson was tired.  
  
"Hey Lexis," he called out. "That was a nice dance. Do you want to hang by the buffet now? I'm starved!"  
  
" Fine! Since you DID dance with me, I'll dine with you." Lexis and Tyson left to go to the buffet, hand-in-hand. Max and Terri were swinging to the music while Saber was trying to teach Ray some break dancing moves.  
  
"You know what Terri?" Max told her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're a really nice person to hang around with!"  
  
"Thanks. You too. I haven't had this much fun with a guy since Oliver taught me how to cook." The two laughed as they slow danced.  
  
"You're not bad of a dancer at all, Ray," Saber told him as they slow danced to the music. Ray just smiled as Saber rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
Kai stared into Solo's black eyes. She looked extremely pretty and gorgeous. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Oh man, he thought. I think I'm falling for her.  
  
Solo put her arms around Kai's neck and rested her head on his shoulder. She couldn't believe this was happening: she was dancing with the hottest beyblader around and he also happened to be her team partner. She stared into his brown eyes. They were only six inches apart from each other now. Slowly, Kai leaned forward. Solo just stood there, mesmerized. The gap between them started to gradually decrease. Solo could feel Kai's breath mingling with hers. Just as their lips were about to meet. . . . .  
  
"KAI! WE HAVE TO GO NOW!" Tyson shouted to him. Kai and Solo immediately looked up, back to reality. The Majestics joined Tyson, Lexis, Terri, Max, Saber and Ray as they waited for Kai and Solo.  
  
What just happened there? Solo thought. Kai was just about to kiss me! Man, what a moment for Tyson to barge in.  
  
Oh great, Kai thought. Why did Tyson have to interrupt like that?  
  
Kai and Solo walked back to their teammates hand in hand. They didn't complain. "Kai, thanks for the dance," Solo said. Kai nodded.  
  
"You're welcome," he murmured. The Majestics, the Bladebreakers, and The Wildcats all exited the clubhouse.  
  
"Are you guys leaving Russia yet?" asked Kenny.  
  
"We might stick around for one or two more days, but yes, we will be leaving Russia by this week," Robert told them.  
  
"Oh and by the way," Enrique added. "If you guys need a hand with training your beyblades, just give us a call."  
  
"Well, we're going. See you guys around!" Oliver said.  
  
"It's real nice seeing you two teams again. Good luck to you in the competitions!" The two teams waved as the Majestics stepped into a limo and drove off.  
  
"Here's our ride!" Tyson exclaimed as their bus drove up. Soon the two teams arrived at their hotel. After bidding Mr. Dickenson good night, the Wildcats and the Bladebreakers walked to their hotel room. Tyson was pleading Lexis to order room service so they could chow down in the living room, Max and Terri was having a thumb-war against each other, Ray was telling jokes to Saber while Saber was trying to think of more jokes to top his, Kai and Solo, well, they just walked together quietly, and Kenny was talking to his computer.  
  
"Fine Tyson," Lexis gave in. "We'll order. . . . . . hey, what's this?" Lexis found a piece of paper taped onto their hotel room door. It was written in a foreign language and was written in blood red ink. The others leaned in to take a look.  
  
"What is that?" asked Tyson.  
  
"Don't know," Lexis answered.  
  
"Maybe it's a letter from Mr. Dickenson," Max suggested.  
  
"Or a reminder," Terri added.  
  
"But why would Mr. Dickenson write in blood red ink?" Saber questioned.  
  
"Maybe it's not from Mr. Dickenson," Ray murmured. Solo and Kai both took the paper from Lexis. Solo held the paper up while Kai leaned over her shoulder to get a closer look.  
  
"It's written in Russian," Solo said as she scanned through the note. It was quite clear that besides Kai, she also knew how to read Russian. "Let's see: 'To the Wildcats and the Bladebreakers, if you know what's good for you-"  
  
"Resign from the Team Pairs Championships immediately unless you want to get hurt!" Kai finished. Everyone stood in silence.  
  
"Maybe it's just a practical joke," Terri said softly.  
"Yeah," Max agreed. "Let's go in now."  
  
"Yeah," said Ray. "Somebody open the door."  
  
"What's on TV now?" asked Saber.  
  
"We could watch that new movie we rented," Kenny suggested.  
  
"That'll be great," Lexis smiled.  
  
"And, we can order some ROOM SERVICE!!!!!" Tyson yelled.  
  
"Tyson! It's 11:30! Everyone's sleeping now! So shush!" Kenny scolded him.  
  
"Maybe that note is just some mistake," Solo told Kai.  
  
"Or not," Kai said. Everyone went inside and watched TV while Tyson ordered room service. 


	6. Solo and Kai sitting in a tree, KISSING!

One True Team  
  
*I hope I didn't make the romance sound to mushy! I will be focusing on beyblading more in the next few chapters! Some romance will be in it but mostly beyblading! Thanks for reviews and I like to thank you for two reviewers who were the first to review my first chapter! They're not on the reviewing comments due to an accident with my story and account. But thanks and enjoy!  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Solo crept out of the girls' room. It was pitch dark in the living room. Her black eyes darted about in the room. She could make out the coffee table, the TV, a few couches, and Kenny's laptop, which was left on the coffee table. The back of the laptop was facing the window, the stars sparkling outside with a glowing full moon.  
She could hear Tyson's constant sleep talking and snoring from the boys' room. Everyone else was sleeping. It was 1:00. Solo couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about the incident about Kai and the dance. Nope, I'm not falling for Kai, she thought. Taking out her beyblade, she held it up and stared at it. Standing by the window, the moonlight shone brightly on Bengalion.  
  
"You're not strong enough just yet," Solo muttered, as she stared at the black beyblade. She banged the window ledge with her fist. "I should have practiced more. Then maybe I wouldn't be so afraid that I'd lose in a match." She clenched her fist and stared out the window. "A full moon. It probably represents good luck." Solo stared out the window until the mirror reflection caught her eye. Someone was standing behind her. Turning around, Solo found herself staring at Kai. She sighed. Then again, she thought, maybe I am kind of falling for him.  
  
"We're not strong enough as partners yet," she said. Kai nodded. There was silence as the twosome stared at the moon.  
  
"Say, Kai," Solo started. "About the dance, I just wanted to tell you that I -" She got cut off when Kai grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her away from the window gently. Kai stared at Solo, taking a deep breath, not sure what to do. Solo stared back, rather confused. Slowly, he bended down towards her, and their lips met before anyone knew it. It was only then did Solo truly understand that Kai was kissing her and that he liked her. It was her first kiss, as well as his first.  
  
As Kai's lungs were about to burst, the two of them pulled apart, both surprised and yet shocked. They stared at each other for a moment before Solo moved. Solo reached up with her hand and brushed the front of Kai's hair away from his face. In the moonlight, she looked down at her feet, a blush running through her cheeks.  
  
"You're not so mean as the others described you," Kai finally said.  
  
"Who said I was?" Solo leaned on Kai's shoulder as she looked at the moon. Kai put his arm around her shoulder. The couple stood there.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Rise and Shine TYSON!!!!" Max yelled. The Wildcats and The Bladebreakers were waiting for Tyson again to get up from bed. It was morning and the two teams had some serious training to do. Ray sighed as he watched Kenny try to pull Tyson out of the bed. But Tyson only kicked him for that.  
  
"Come on," Kenny groaned, rubbing his elbow from the bruise Tyson had given him. "Tyson, we have to train and practice our strategies for the Team Pairs Championships."  
  
"Watch this," Lexis nudged Saber. Sneaking up to Tyson's bed, Lexis bended down and said in Tyson's ear, "Kai and Ray are already downstairs eating your share of breakfast."  
  
In 2 seconds, Tyson sat up in the bed. "Lexis, where's my cap? MAX, WHERE DID I LEAVE MY CLOTHES AGAIN???? Kenny, go downstairs and tell Ray and Kai to stop eating my breakfast! What's so funny, Lexis?" Everyone was laughing at Tyson, except for Kai. Even Solo had a faint smirk on her face.  
  
"You fell for the same trick twice!" Lexis told him gleefully. "I did the same thing to you yesterday and it's déjà vu all over again!" Tyson just looked at everyone with a surprised look.  
  
"Oh yeah? I bet I won't do the same thing tomorrow!" he declared as he banged the door to the bathroom.  
  
"Prove it!" Lexis said to the bathroom door.  
  
"I WILL!" Tyson yelled back. Saber chuckled to herself as Terri rolled her eyes to the ceiling.  
  
Solo blushed slightly as Kai's eyes stared into hers. They remembered what had happened last night. Terri noticed this.  
  
"Say, what's up with Solo and Kai?" Terri whispered to Saber. "Never before have I seen Solo's cheeks so pink."  
  
"I was thinking about the same thing with Kai," Max told the two girls. "The ice in his eyes practically melted when he saw Solo." Saber and Ray just shrugged at that.  
  
Soon, after breakfast, the two teams started practicing in the hotel training room.  
  
"Alright Dizzy," Kenny said as he opened up his laptop. "Tell us what data you have for us. Say, what's this?" Kenny asked Dizzy. He found a file that was new.  
  
"I don't know Chief," Dizzy's voice sounded. "You must have left my camera on last night when you left me on that dusty coffee table. I might have taped something."  
  
Kenny tapped a few keys and a window popped up. The recording read 1:00 am. Kenny saw a figure in black moving about. The person came into view of Dizzy's camera. Kenny adjusted his glasses as he watched the person take out a black beyblade from his or her pocket and murmur to it, "You're not strong enough just yet."  
  
OKAAAAY, Kenny thought. He looked around. "Hey Ray! Saber! Do you guys recognize this person in the camera?" Ray and Saber walked towards Kenny, and then towered over the laptop. Ray drew back in surprise.  
  
"Where did you tape that?" he asked. "It's like a scene from a movie where someone goes to be alone."  
  
"I accidentally forgot to turn off Dizzy's camera on the laptop," Kenny explained.  
  
"This person's got a beyblade," Saber pointed out. "Maybe it's mysterious Russian mailer who gave us that Russian note yesterday at the door. But come to think of it, this person looks kind of familiar."  
  
"Hey, Max! Terri! Come on over here," Ray called. Terri and Max laughed as they grabbed their beyblades and ran over to Ray.  
  
"Say Ray, what's up?" Max asked.  
  
"Kenny found this recording from last night and perhaps you might know who this mysterious person is?" Max and Terri both studied the person moving about in the recording.  
  
"Hey, Kenny, pause it." Kenny paused the recording. Terri squinted her eyes.  
  
"I don't know," she said. "But that person looks like a girl to me."  
  
"Yeah," Saber agreed. "The figure looks like a girl."  
  
"Hey, Tyson! Come here! You too Lexis!" Max called. Lexis and Tyson ran over.  
  
"Are you giving me something to eat?" Asked Tyson. Everyone sweat-dropped. "Uh. . . . I take that as a no. Then are you telling me when we eat-"  
  
"Tyson!" Kenny cut in. "Do you and Lexis recognize this person?"  
  
"It's a girl," Lexis answered almost immediately. "Athletic built, tall, beyblader."  
  
"No clue!" Tyson simply yawned.  
  
"Kenny, continue playing that recording," Ray said. Kenny tapped a key and the recording continued. Soon, they could see another figure behind the so- called-girl, both looking out towards the window.  
  
"We're not strong enough as partners yet," the girl said. The guy, who was taller than her with an athletic built nodded.  
  
"Come on, just kiss her," Saber insisted. Everyone laughed. "I dare you to."  
  
"Man, this is so soap opera!" Tyson exclaimed as the girl and guy stared at each other. There was silence as everyone stared at the screen, watching the two people stare at each other.  
  
"Oh my gosh, what are you waiting for? Just go on and kiss her already!" Saber groaned.  
  
"You must have watched one too many soap operas, Saber," Ray joked.  
  
"Actually I don't. I just watch those romantic movies because Terri always watches them and she won't let me have the remote control!"  
  
"Ah, this is sooo sweet," Terri said dreamily as the guy embraced the girl. The two kissed.  
  
"EWWW! HOW CAN YOU EVEN SAY THAT?" Tyson shrieked. He covered his face with his gloved hands. Lexis laughed.  
  
"Now she's brushing his hair away from his face," Max said. Lexis stared at the girl and the guy, thinking.  
  
"Wait a minute. Hey Kenny! Stop the recording! All right, lighten up the scenery so that it will be bright enough for us to see."  
  
Meanwhile, Kai and Solo were furiously practicing their beyblade strategy. They had now called their attack the Collision course. Both beyblades attack from both sides at the same time and expertly spun the other beyblades right out of the stadium.  
  
"Those were some sweet moves," Kai commented for once. Solo smiled shyly.  
  
"Thanks," she said. The two of them stared at each other, remembering what had happened last night. I guess that makes him my boyfriend now, Solo thought. Kai gave her a warm look, which looked more friendlier than his usual cold expression.  
  
"OH MY GOSH!!!!!!" Tyson yelled as he flopped onto the floor laughing. Ray and Saber were laughing their heads off while Lexis laughed until she coughed. Terri and Max were both giggling and chuckling hysterically while Kenny was covering his mouth to stop laughing. Solo and Kai looked in their direction, wondering what was so funny. Solo followed Kai as he walked to the laughing group.  
  
"What's so funny?" Kai asked annoyingly. Nobody answered him because they were still laughing like maniacs. By now, everyone's face was red and they were either clutching their stomachs or covering their mouths. Kai glared at them. Solo frowned.  
  
By now, Tyson had managed to sit up on the floor with Lexis' help. Ray was biting his cheek while Saber was biting her lip. Both were trying to stop laughing but without success. Terri and Max were giggling quietly to themselves and Kenny adjusted his glasses. They were desperately trying not to laugh but they were still giggling and shaking. Finally, Tyson managed to stop giggling.  
  
"So, Kai, how does it feel to have your first girlfriend?" Tyson asked sarcastically. Kai stepped back, tongue-tied.  
  
"Solo, how does it feel to have the team captain as your boyfriend?" Lexis pressured on. Solo stepped back also, accidentally bumping into Kai.  
  
"How's our new couple doing?" Terri and Max asked jokingly. Solo and Kai just stared at them, mouths opened. Solo's cheeks turned pink and Kai looked down at his feet.  
  
"Solo and Kai, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Ray and Saber sang.  
  
"But, how did you. . . . ." Solo and Kai both stuttered. Kenny grinned as he opened up his laptop. Kai and Solo stared into it. Tapping a few keys, Kenny smiled. "Play it again, Dizzy!"  
  
"You got it, Chief!" Dizzy said as a default player window showed up. It started with a figure stepping into the room. Then everyone saw the figure look out the window and take out a beyblade.  
  
"Hey wait a second-" Solo started. Another person behind the figure, stared into the figure's eyes as he turned her around.  
  
"Is that-" Kai stuttered. Everyone was laughing now as the two figures in the recording kissed.  
  
"Now, is it true that you two were making out under the pale moon light, Kai and Solo?" Tyson asked sarcastically. Kenny paused the two figures kissing, tapped a few keys and the setting in the recording brightened. It now clearly showed a picture of Kai and Solo kissing. Solo practically grabbed the laptop and glared at it shockingly. Everyone laughed even harder. Solo handed the laptop to Kai. He took one look and his eyes grew so wide that you could see the whites around his eyes.  
  
"Oh gawd," Tyson gasped as he shakily got up. "You know what the funniest thing is? Kai actually has emotions! And it's for the quietest girl too!" Lexis gulped when she saw Solo's eyes narrow. Whenever Solo did that, that probably meant BIG TROUBLE. Since Solo was a black belt in martial arts, karate, and who knows what else, she means business when she's angry. Kind of like when Saber gets pissed off.  
  
"Umm, Tyson?" she whispered.  
  
"Yeah Lexis?"  
  
"I think you should stop laughing about it."  
  
"Why? This is my one way opportunity to embarrass Kai and to show the sourpuss revenge!!"  
  
"I wasn't referring to Kai."  
  
"Oh. Oh well, Solo doesn't seem to be too mad about it."  
  
"You've just pissed her off. And nobody ever dared to make her angry. You wouldn't want to see her angry."  
  
"Ah, lay off will you? I'm just having a little fun."  
  
"Last time Saber pissed her off, she broke a chair and gave Saber a black eye."  
  
". . . . . . . Okay, let's start working on our techniques on Beyblading," Tyson yelled, changing the subject.  
  
"Righty-o!" Saber exclaimed as she and Ray walked over to a dish. Max and Terri talked to each other, smiling. Tyson and Lexis joked about as they ran over to another dish. As for Kai and Solo, they gave each other a determined look and went back at practicing their Collision course attack.  
  
"Alright, ready Terri?" asked Max.  
  
"Ready," Terri smiled.  
  
"Let it rip!" Both beyblades spun off their launchers and landed in the middle.  
  
"Alright, let's try this. Draciel! Begin defense maneuver!"  
  
"Cougarah! Begin Defense shield!" Both beyblades stayed in the middle, then spread out a bit. The virtual beyblades tried to attack them, but couldn't shake off their defense.  
  
"Draciel, attack!" Draciel attacked the virtual beyblade and it spun out of the arena.  
  
"Alright! Cougarah, Mountain Cat attack!!" Cougarah swerved around the dish, then rammed the other virtual beyblade right out of the dish.  
  
"Yes!" Max and Terri slapped high fives. "We did it! All we needed was teamwork and strong defense!" They stared at each other, then laughed.  
  
"Go Driger!" Ray shouted.  
  
"Go Panthera!" Saber yelled. Both beyblades were circling around the dish across from each other. The other two virtual beyblades were in the middle. "Let's try out our plan. X-claw Collision!"  
  
"X-claw Collision!" Driger spun from the side to the middle diagonally, crashing one of the virtual beyblades away. The beyblade spun away from Driger, but was not prepared for Panthera. Panthera spun away from the right side of Driger diagonally and attacked that beyblade Driger had just crashed into. The beyblade bumped into the other virtual blade and both of them crash landed out side the bowl. Ray and Saber grinned.  
  
"Yes! Now we've finally got the timing right!" Ray exclaimed.  
  
"Right on!" Saber laughed. "Now we're ready!"  
  
"All right Tyson, whenever you're ready," Lexis told him. Tyson smiled at Lexis.  
  
"Okay, listen up Dragoon! Phantom hurricane attack!" Dragoon began to form a massive hurricane around the entire bowl. The other two virtual beyblades were forced to stay in the middle of the dish. Jagurah was caught up with the hurricane and rose up with the massive storm.  
  
"Let's add a little twist into this," Lexis grinned. "Jagurah, Camouflage Adaptation!" The entire hurricane turned orange. Now Jagurah was completely hidden among the orange colored hurricane. Tyson looked about.  
  
"Where did it go?" he asked shockingly.  
  
"That's the tricky part," Lexis said. "Jagurah, Jaguar Paw Scratch!" Jagurah suddenly slipped away from Dragoon's hurricane and dive down to the middle. It landed directly on one of the virtual blades and sends it flying out of the dish. Dragoon then attacked the other blade and that one went flying away as well.  
  
"Alright!!!" Tyson hugged Lexis so hard that she almost couldn't breathe. "We did it! We did it!"  
  
"Uh. . . . Tyson?. . . . As much as I like you, I'm about to suffocate here!? . . . ."  
  
"OH! Sorry!" Tyson slowly let go of Lexis. Lexis smiled at him.  
  
"Next time you want to hug me, can you not suffocate me?" she asked jokingly. Tyson, seeing her not mad, gave her another hug.  
  
"Is this better?" he teased her. Lexis laughed.  
  
"Yeah, much better." She started to laugh when Tyson started to tickle and poke her in the stomach. Tyson laughed. He loved seeing Lexis laugh.  
  
"Lexis?" Lexis stopped laughing when she saw Solo standing in front of her. "We've just received another threatening letter." Kai showed her a note that was in the same blood red ink and in Russian. Tyson, who was still holding her by the waist from the back, rested his chin on her shoulder as he and Lexis stared at the letter.  
  
"This time it says: This is the last time I'm going to warn you. Resign from the Team Pairs Championships or get hurt!" Kai told them. Tyson growled in anger. Ray, Saber, Terri, Max and Kenny had also joined them.  
  
"Well, whether or not I get hurt," Tyson yelled. "I'm still going to beybattle in the championships because I didn't come all the way to Russia for nothing!"  
  
"Tyson's right!" Terri agreed.  
  
"Yeah. Nobody's going to scare us away with stinky red ink!" Ray declared.  
  
"Whenever you're ready guys," Max said. "I'm going too."  
  
"Me too," Solo replied.  
  
"We're gonna show this idiot who's boss cause we ain't chickening out on the championships!" Saber shouted.  
  
"You got that right," Kenny agreed.  
  
"Well, what do you say about this?" Lexis asked Tyson, turning her head to see his face.  
  
"I'm going to say that we're going to go to the championships and WIN!" Tyson answered. "Who's with me?"  
  
"We are!" Everyone answered. Kai just nodded at that. 


	7. U better not let ur girlfriend get in ur...

One True Team  
  
I want to thank you for reviewing me, reviewers! You've all really helped me to improve the story! And yes, I'm focusing more on beyblading this time! Still, a little romance will be around! Enjoy!  
"Let's go! I'll take you and Ray on in a beybattle!"  
  
"Are you sure about it Tyson?" Saber flung her waist long braid behind her back.  
  
"Who are you kidding, Saber? Of course I am! Now let's go!"  
  
"Okay," Kenny said as he opened up his laptop. "Whenever you're ready guys."  
  
3 . . . . . 2. . . . 1. . . . Let it Rip!  
"Let's go Dragoon!" Tyson shouted as he ripped his blade.  
  
"Go Jagurah!" Lexis yelled.  
  
"Come on, Panthera! Show them what you've got!" Saber replied.  
  
"You can do it, Driger!" Ray exclaimed.  
  
The four blades spun into action inside the dish.  
  
"Let's do this! X-claw Collision!" Saber and Ray shouted. Driger and Panthera advanced towards Dragoon, proceeding to cream him.  
  
"Back him up, Jagurah!" Jagurah spun in front of Panthera. "Jaguar Paw Scratch!" Panthera backed away from Jagurah.  
  
"Oh great!" Saber exclaimed. "I don't think I can do it yet, Ray. I'm against Lexis right now."  
  
"That's okay," Ray told her. "Cause I'm planning to take on Tyson. Driger, Tiger Claw Attack!"  
  
"Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane!" The hurricane sucked up Driger, but using its Tiger Claws, Driger broke free of the hurricane and flew down right beside Panthera.  
  
"Alright. X-claw Collision!" Driger rammed Dragoon to Panthera.  
  
"Panthera! Scythe claw attack!" Panthera knocked Dragoon into Jagurah and both beyblades flew to the ground.  
  
"Ah!" Tyson screamed in frustration.  
  
"It's okay," Saber said. "I think you guys did a great job in battle. We've only got one more day before the championships start!"  
  
"Tyson," Kenny said. "You and Lexis did a great job at defending and attacking others, but you guys need to practice the strategy more. Do you guys have a name for that?"  
  
"Yeah," Lexis answered. "We could name it the DJ Destruction." (Sorry, not good with names!)  
  
"You're going to kill DJ Jazzman?" Kenny asked shockingly.  
  
"No!" Tyson snapped.  
  
"DJ stands for Dragoon and Jagurah."  
  
"Kids," Mr. Dickenson said as he entered the room. "I'm glad to say that we have signed up the teams in the championships and will be ready to battle tomorrow."  
  
"Alright!" Max cheered.  
  
"This is no time to be celebrating," Kai muttered. "We've got a lot of training to do. So quit the cheers."  
  
"Man, can't you have a little fun here?" Tyson asked annoyingly.  
  
"We can do that later," Solo answered.  
  
"Meanwhile, lunch is almost ready. So you kids can finish up and get ready to eat."  
  
"Hurray!" Tyson yelled. "Let's hurry up and eat!"  
  
"Not so fast Tyson," Kenny said, pulling Tyson's neck collar so he couldn't escape. "I have to tell you guys what you need to work on. Okay, Tyson and Lexis, you guys need to practice your uh. . . . DJ Destruction- strategy. It's almost perfect, but you two need to work on the timing. Max and Terri, you're pretty good in you defenses, but you should have an attack plan for back up. Ray and Saber, you guys are pretty good with your attack plan. Dizzy suggests that you two wait for the right time to do the X-claw collision attack and you can work on another strategy for back up if you want. Kai and Solo, you guys are really good in your attack plan. You guys should also have another back up too. As for everyone, you should all still practice beyblading individually or with your teammate. You never know when you have to fight alone in case your partner's blade gets thrown out."  
  
"Great!" Tyson groaned. "Now let's eat!"  
  
"Okay," Max said. "Coming Terri?"  
  
"You know it," Terri smiled as she walked next to Max. Ray and Saber laughed as the two of them raced each other out the door again. Kai and Solo walked quietly side by side while Kenny followed them out.  
  
"Hey Lexis," Tyson called out. "You coming yet?"  
  
"Not yet," Lexis answered. "I'm just going to clean up my beyblade first. You go on ahead and I'll meet you at the table in 1 minute."  
  
"Okay," Tyson said. He ran off after Kenny, leaving Lexis alone in the training room. Lexis polished her beyblade, and then cleaned up the mess she had made. She sighed. Tyson was a really good teammate and friend, even though he was always hungry. He was someone she could get along with because of his humor and attitude. She blushed slightly when she remembered Tyson tickling her in the stomach and hugging her. Life was weird.  
  
As Lexis walked across the room to the door, the door suddenly slammed shut. Running to the door, Lexis turned the knob. It was locked. She even tried busting it open with her shoulder. No luck. Then all of a sudden, smoke filled the room. Lexis started coughing. It was getting harder to breathe.  
  
"Somebody open the door!" she yelled, as the smoke got heavier. Lexis started to see stars. But nobody opened the door nor heard her. Struggling to stay awake, Lexis saw an envelope slid through under the door. The smoke got even worst. Lexis felt dizzy as her knees buckled and her coughing grew worst. The last thing she saw before she blacked out on the floor was a smoke bomb next to the air vents.  
"Where is she?" Tyson asked impatiently.  
  
"Who? The waitress?" asked Max.  
  
"No. I mean Lexis," Tyson answered. "She said she would meet me here in 1 minute, and 15 minutes has already passed by."  
  
"Oooooooo," Saber sang in a songlike voice. "It looks like Tyson has a crush on Lexis."  
  
"What!?" Tyson stuttered as his face turned pink.  
  
"He's blushing," Ray teased.  
  
"Uh. . . . . so what if I do? She's just a friend and a teammate. That's all!"  
  
"And your girlfriend," Terri giggled. Everyone laughed except for Kai and Solo. Solo just kind of smirked while Kai had a twinkle in his eye.  
  
"You better not let your girlfriend get in your way of training for the tournaments, Tyson," Kai sneered. It was his one way to get revenge on Tyson for teasing him and Solo.  
  
"Ohhhhhhhhhh. . . . ." everyone chorused while Tyson's ears turned bright red.  
  
"Very funny, Mr. Sour-pants," Tyson groaned.  
  
"Watch what you call him," Solo warned teasingly. Kai smirked.  
  
"But seriously, Lexis always arrives on time," Saber said.  
  
"Do you think something could have happened to her?" Ray asked. Tyson got up.  
  
"I'm going to look for her," he told them. "You guys keep eating."  
  
"No problem," Ray and Saber said. Tyson walked down the hallway outside of the dining room. Lexis still had not shown up yet. He checked the hallways, the rooms, and the lobby to see if she was there. Nope. No sign of her.  
  
Maybe she's training inside the training room, Tyson thought. He pressed the button to the elevator and went to the bottom level. "Lexis! Hey Lexis, where are you?" Tyson ran ahead to the training room, turning the knob. "Huh?" He turned around. He had thought there was somebody behind him. Shrugging, Tyson turned the knob to the door and went inside. "Lexis? Where are you? Ahh!" Tyson gasped when he saw Lexis lying on the floor faced down, unconscious. An envelope lay beside her. "Lexis!" Tyson ran up to her and knelt on the floor. "Lexis, you okay?" He brought Lexis up to a sitting position, supporting her back. "Lexis, wake up. . . . please. . . ."  
  
"Mmph. . . ." Lexis groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. "What. . . . where am I? Tyson?"  
  
"Lexis, are you okay?"  
  
"What happened? Why do I feel so weak?" Lexis moaned as she tried to stand up. But she felt too dizzy to see and fell into Tyson's arms. "Gee, t- thanks."  
  
"Did you pass out?"  
  
"I think I did. . . . . Now I remember. I was cleaning up, and was about to go out the door when it was locked and smoke filled the room. A smoke bomb or something. Then there was an envelope."  
  
"You mean that?" Tyson nodded his head towards the envelope. He was still holding Lexis and his hands were around her waist. Lexis nodded. "Can you try to stand?" Leaning on Tyson's shoulder, Lexis shakily got up.  
  
"Thanks," Lexis smiled. And before Tyson knew it, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Tyson could only open his mouth and turn as red as a tomato. An entire red blush broke through his face. Lexis looked into his eyes, smiling. Tyson swayed a bit on his feet before reality returned to him. He could only think of one thing: the girl he had a crush on had just kissed him!  
  
"Y-y-y-yo-your w-welcome," he answered dreamily. Lexis laughed. "Lexis, I really do like you," he confessed nervously.  
  
"You're cute yourself," Lexis teased. She and Tyson laughed, completely forgetting about the envelope and the half opened door. "So," Lexis began after they stopped laughing. "What's in this envelope-" Lexis got cut off when she heard some laughing and giggling outside the room behind the door.  
  
"Who's there?" Tyson demanded. The door opened as Saber and Ray fell into the room, laughing like a bunch of hyenas, along with Max and Terri, who had eaten too much sugar and was laughing like there was no tomorrow. The other door opened with Kai and Solo standing, evil smirks on their faces. And then, there was Kenny, who was holding Dizzy, both chuckling.  
  
"So what did I say, Tyson?" Kai taunted. "Don't let your girlfriend get in your training for the championships." Solo laughed, eyes closed.  
  
"There's love in the air when Tyson and Lexis is sitting in a tree," Saber and Ray chorused. "They're K-I-S-S-I-N-G-"  
  
"Hold on a second," Tyson interrupted. "Lexis got locked in the training room and she got unconscious from a smoke bomb."  
  
"What?" Terri gasped.  
  
"It must be another present from the Russian mailer," Ray said as he finally stopped laughing.  
  
"You okay, Lexis?" Max asked.  
  
"Yeah, thanks to Tyson," Lexis smiled. Saber nudged Ray with her elbow as the two started laughing again.  
  
"Tyson, let's see the envelope," Solo replied. Tyson threw her the envelope, which she easily caught between her second and third finger. Opening the envelope, she and Kai read the letter.  
  
"Hope you enjoyed your black out, Lexis, cause next time, you won't be so lucky. Drop from the championships now, or you'll regret it, Bladebreakers and Wildcats," Solo and Kai read in unison. Tyson clenched a fist.  
  
"Well, whoever is sending these threats ought to be prepared cause I'm going to let it rip!!" A growl comes from his stomach. "Right after I eat of course!" Terri, Max, and Kenny fell anime style while Ray, Saber, Solo and Kai sweat-dropped. Lexis just laughed.  
  
"Come on, let's go," she said as she grabbed Tyson's arm and walked out the door. Tyson followed.  
  
"Well, there goes a happy couple," Max breathed out.  
  
"Yeah," Saber sighed. "I'll bet."  
  
"While they're eating, let's practice a bit more. Tomorrow's the championships' start, and we have to be ready," Ray said. Solo and Kai nodded. Everyone began to practice beyblading, not aware of the danger that was yet to come. 


	8. A sweet drink for Terri

One True Team  
  
Thanks for all the reviews! Want to thank you those who pointed out my grammar mistakes and improvements/suggestions on the story! Enjoy!  
* * * * *  
"And welcome to this year's first Team Pairs Championships!" DJ Jazzman screamed into his microphone. "Is everybody ready?" The audience cheered as if there was no tomorrow. "Alright, then let's get this party started with a bang!"  
  
"Hello, this is Brad Best."  
  
"And this is A.J. Topper. The audience is stoked for the championships, so let us tell u exactly how this championships works."  
  
"Right. There will be two blocks like the rest of the championships. Aka block A and block B. There are four teams in each block, each team equals to two teams combined into one. The teams that were chosen and registered from the qualifying rounds are in either block A or B. Everyday, two teams will go against two other teams until one winner is found. The winner(s) of block A will go against block B."  
  
"Say AJ. Why are we still talking about how this works when everyone knows already?"  
  
"I don't know Brad. It's in the notes and besides, it'll give us something to talk about."  
  
"What notes?"  
  
Meanwhile, Tyson and the gang were checking out the schedule boards.  
  
"Look, we're going to go first." Ray pointed at their team names on the schedule.  
  
"Okay," Chief said. "We have to focus on our battle order. Max and Terri, you guys can go first, and then Ray and Saber can go second. Do you want to go third Kai and Solo?" Kai shook his head.  
  
"Alright. Tyson and Lexis can go third."  
  
"Then let's go!" Tyson grabbed Lexis' arm as he ran down the locker hallway. Everyone else followed and went inside the locker room to hang up their jackets and prepare for the battle.  
  
"Say, what's this?" Tyson asked. He pointed to a cardboard box that was sitting on a table. To Bladebreakers and Wildcats, from the BBA.  
  
"What's in it?" Saber asked next. Ray opened up the box and reached in.  
  
"Well, what is it?" Max questioned. Ray pulled out a bottle.  
  
"It's some kind of juice. It's called 'Powered Energy'."  
  
"There's nine bottles here. I guess I'll take one for Terri and me first. We are going to beyblade first."  
  
"Anyone else?" Lexis asked. "I'm not that thirsty yet."  
  
"No thanks," Ray and Saber answered. Solo shook her head. Max and Terri got their beyblades prepared, then walked out the door to the stadium.  
  
"Let's give it up for Max and Terri, representing the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats!" The crowd went wild. The rest of the team sat behind at the bench. Terri opened her bottle and took a sip.  
  
"It's okay," she said. "Kind of like a cherry flavored juice." Max was about to tilt his bottle back into his mouth when Tyson bumped into him, causing him to drop the bottle. Juice flooded the floor as Max stared in disgust.  
  
"Tyson!" Max cried, glaring at the juice that was spilled on the floor.  
  
"Sorry!"  
  
"Come on Max," Terri said. She took out her beyblade and launcher, and then stood in front of the dish to wait for her competitor.  
  
"And on this side, meet our competitors, Jennifer and Carlos! They represent the Zodiacs and The Rockers." A blue haired boy and a purple haired girl stared at Max and Terri.  
  
"May the best player win," Max smiled. Carlos smiled in appreciation.  
  
"Good luck." The four players got into position and launched their blades when DJ Jazzman shouted, "Let it rip!"  
  
"Draciel, begin defense maneuver."  
  
"You too, Cougarah."  
  
"Oh no you don't." Carlos' beyblade circled around the dish like a shark. Jennifer grinned.  
  
"Nice move, Terri," she commented. "But it's not going to stop me!" Jennifer's beyblade rocketed off the dish and sailed above Terri's beyblade. Then it dropped down right on Cougarah and spun on top of it.  
  
"Hold it, Cougarah. . . Oww!" Terri groaned as she clutched her stomach.  
  
"You okay?" Max asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay," Terri said quickly. She straightened up, trying to ignore the pain in her stomach. "Oh no, Cougarah!" Cougarah was starting to wobble under the pressure of Jennifer's beyblade. Draciel was also wobbling a bit. Max was too busy worrying about Terri to concentrate on the match.  
  
"What's wrong with Max and Terri? They had done this before in practice," Lexis said.  
  
"They're both distracted by something," Ray answered. "Max is probably distracted by Terri, but I don't know what Terri is distracted by."  
  
"According to Dizzy's stats, the beyblade is strong when the blader is strong or in control. Terri must not be in control of something." Kenny checked through his laptop.  
  
"Terri, are you sure you're alright?" Max asked eagerly.  
  
"Y-yeah." Terri drew her hands around her stomach and clenched her teeth.  
  
"What's wrong?" Max asked worriedly.  
  
"N-nothing."  
  
"Are you guys going to chat or battle?" Jennifer asked annoyingly. Max nodded.  
  
"Okay. Draciel, attack now!" Draciel slid away from Carlos' beyblade and started hitting it head to head. Terri wasn't too lucky. She had an awful pain in her stomach that was increasing, forcing her to weaken and not concentrate on battling.  
  
"Cougarah! Mountain Cat attack!" Cougarah shook off Jennifer's beyblade and rammed it into Carlos's beyblade. Terri groaned. She was starting to break into a cold sweat.  
  
"What's wrong with Terri?" Saber asked, eyeing at her teammate. "She's seems to be weakening."  
  
"Yeah," Ray agreed. Terri moaned as her stomach twisted painfully.  
  
"Owww. . . . ." Terri groaned silently, bending over. Max looked away from the battle and turned to Terri.  
  
"Terri! Are you okay?" he asked, rushing towards her. Kai growled.  
  
"Oh great! Max just let his defense down because of a. . . . . a. . girl and he's given the other team the perfect opportunity to attack," he pointed out in disgust. Solo nodded.  
  
"He's letting his emotions get in the way while Terri has lost it. She's not feeling well or something," Solo pointed out.  
  
"Now, attack!" Carlos and Jennifer cried. Since Draciel had let down its defense, Carlos and Jennifer's beyblades smashed into him, causing him to collide into Cougarah and the two of them sailed out of the dish.  
  
"And it looks like the winner of the first match is Carlos and Jennifer!" DJ Jazzman announced. Terri looked up painfully at Max. Both were shocked but yet disappointed at their loss.  
  
"I'm sorry," Terri started. "It's my fault. I should have tried harder. Sorry I let you down Max."  
  
"It wasn't your fault cause I was the one who let down my guard. I'm sorry Terri for losing this match like that," Max apologized.  
  
"We'll both try harder next time," Terri smiled. "Sorry guys for losing the- Owwwwww!" Terri doubled over in pain.  
  
"Terri, you're turning pale! What's wrong?"  
  
"It's nothing. I- uh- I think I just need to lie down." Terri's voice sounded far away in a distant. She walked slowly towards the bench where the gang was. Terri took three halting steps, then her knees buckled and she collapsed forward onto the floor. Everyone gasped.  
  
"Somebody call the medic!" Max yelled as he ran over to Terri. Lexis and Tyson ran towards the doors, looking for a medic.  
  
"Terri, what's wrong?" Max asked her, bending over. He took a sweater Tyson handed to him and covered her with it. "Did you eat something bad?"  
  
". . . . . Max, I t-think it was the d-drink," Terri whispered. Max laid her head on his knees as he bended down.  
  
"Just go to sleep." Meanwhile, Saber and Ray were searching for the "drink".  
  
"What does she mean?" Saber asked as she overturned a chair. Ray held up Terri's juice bottle.  
  
"Is this what she's talking about?" Ray questioned. "It's the drink the BBA send in for us."  
  
"Somebody call the doctor!" DJ Jazzman yelled through the mike.  
  
"Uh oh! It looks like Terri from the Wildcats seems to be sick!"  
  
"You got that right Brad! It looks like Terri has collapsed and seems to be unconscious. The doctors are probably taking her to the hospital."  
  
Two doctors and a sketcher was brought in (was it a stretcher or sketcher? I don't know! Have it your way!). The doctors gently lifted Terri from Max onto the stretcher (or sketcher). Max and the others stood beside her.  
  
"You alright?" Saber asked eagerly. Terri weakly opened her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be alright," she answered quietly. Turning to Max, she said, "I'm sorry I let you and the team down."  
  
"It's okay," sighed Max. He reached out and brushed Terri's bangs out of her eyes. "Just be careful. I'll visit you at the hospital later." Terri smiled peacefully before her eyes closed. The doctors took her out the doors to the stadium. They also took Terri's juice for evidence of what could have happened.  
  
"I hope Terri feels better soon," Saber murmured, tugging at her black high collar (it's somewhat like Ray's collar).  
  
"Sorry guys," Max apologized to the team. "I couldn't concentrate." He expected Kai to load him with one of his never-again-lose-because-of-a-girl kind of lectures, but surprisingly, he didn't. He just grunted.  
  
"What's been done in the past is gone now," he muttered. "Just be on your guard next time." Max nodded. Tyson patted him on the back.  
  
"Don't worry Max!" he grinned. "We all know you tried your best cause it's not easy to concentrate on a match when someone you care about is not well."  
  
"Alright," Ray said, changing the subject. "Saber and I are going to win this round, right?"  
  
"Righty-o, tiger!" Saber agreed with Ray. "This one should be a cinch!"  
  
"Remember guys," Kenny reminded them. "You shouldn't reveal your bit-beast unless it's really necessary. They should be kept a secret unless you really need them for the job."  
  
"Gotcha!" Saber and Ray approached the dish. DJ Jazzman jumped back into action of announcing the players.  
  
"Here we go folks!!!!" he yelled into the mike. "Give it up for Ray and Saber of the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats!" Loud cheers coming from the crowd filled the room. "And from the Zodiacs and the Rockers, we have Michael and Carrie!" The crowd became even more hyped up as the red-haired girl and the blond-haired guy stood in front of Ray and Saber. Saber and Ray grinned as they launched into position.  
  
"And 3. . . . . 2. . . . .1. . . . Let it rip!"  
  
"Go Driger!"  
  
"Get 'em Panthera!"  
  
"Come on!"  
  
"Let's go!" The four beyblades spun into action onto the dish.  
  
"It looks like they've started, AJ!"  
  
"You got that right, Brad!" Driger and Panthera circled around the dish, chasing after Carrie and Michael's blades.  
  
"Watch this!" Michael's blade broke of from the chase and circled behind Driger, crashing into him and trying to knock him over the edge.  
  
"Driger, tiger claw attack!" Michael's blade backed away as Driger crashed him right to the middle.  
  
"You're pretty good Saber!" Carrie commented as Panthera dodged her beyblade's attack. Saber grinned.  
  
"Thanks! But I won't go easy on your team this time! Panthera, X-claw collision!" Crashing Carrie's blade away towards Driger, Driger caught Panthera's timing and attacked it diagonally, smashing it into Michael's blade. Carrie's beyblade flew out of the dish, while Michael's blade spun near the edge.  
  
"Finish him off, Driger!" Driger charged at Michael's blade and knocked him right out of the arena. The crowd cheered as Ray and Saber high-fived. Carrie and Michael didn't look too flattered at being beaten.  
  
"Hey you guys, can we ask you a favor?" Carrie asked the two teammates.  
  
"Yeah?" Ray asked. Carrie smiled at him. Michael smiled at Saber.  
  
"Can we have your autographs?" Ray and Saber looked at each other in surprise, then grinned.  
  
"Sure." Carrie handed Ray a picture of himself.  
  
"Where did you get that?" he asked.  
  
"Took a picture of you last year." Ray signed the photo. As for Saber, Michael had also handed her a picture of herself and had her sign it.  
  
"Thanks guys!"  
  
"No problem!"  
  
"Are they done yet?" Tyson asked exasperatedly. Ray and Saber finally headed back.  
  
"You guys did a great job," Lexis commented.  
  
"Just don't get over confident," Solo advised. The third match soon began with Tyson and Lexis.  
  
"And the players from the other side are Chelsea and Jackie!" The crowd cheered as the four competitors got together.  
  
"And 3 . . . . . 2. . . . . 1. . . . .Let it Rip!"  
  
"Let it rip!" Tyson yelled as Dragoon launched into action.  
  
"Let's do show some action!" Lexis exclaimed. And in a few seconds flat, Dragoon and Jagurah flattened the other opponents flat (sorry. Couldn't think of how to write it!).  
  
"Alright!" Tyson cheered as he gave Lexis a hug.  
  
"And so, the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats will advance to the next round," DJ Jazzman announced as the crowd cheered.  
  
"Wow, what a show."  
  
"I guess Brad. Anyways, see you next time folks!"  
  
"Mr. Dickenson," Max asked urgently. "Have they found out what's wrong with Terri yet?" Mr. Dickenson stroked his beard before answering.  
  
"They're not quite sure yet, but from the symptoms she's been suffering from, the doctors are suggesting Terri got food-poisoned." Everyone gasped.  
  
"Food-poisoned?" Lexis stuttered.  
  
"Not again," Tyson groaned. "Just as we started the championships, some wacko wants us to butt out of the tournament. And now he's poisoned Terri."  
  
"Will she be alright soon?" Max questioned.  
  
"Terri might have to stay at the hospital for the rest of the day, but yes, she'll be alright. She's a tough kid, so she should be back tomorrow. I'll let you know when she can have visitors at the hospital so you can all visit her."  
  
"Don't worry Max," Ray patted his shoulder. "Terri will be alright, you'll see."  
  
"Right," Max smiled. "Let's go have some lunch. I'm sure Tyson here is starved."  
  
"Right on!" Tyson yelled as he barged out the door with the gang following him. Solo searched the crowd, suspicious. Seeing that everyone else had gone out the door except for Kai, she joined him and left the stadium.  
  
"What's wrong?" Kai questioned. Solo shook her head.  
  
"Nothing," she answered. A pair of black eyes stared at her from the audience as Solo and Kai left the stadium. The girl had black hair that was highlighted with red. The V- necked black sleeveless shirt and black pants showed the red in her hair. A smile cast on the mysterious person's face.  
  
"Did you take care of that short haired girl?" she asked. Another girl nodded, her brownish-red hair shaking.  
  
"Oh yeah. I left her a pretty nice treat."  
  
"Just wait till we meet. We'll show you." The girl laughed sinisterly, then got up and left.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
"Hey Terri," Max said. "How you feeling?"  
  
"Much better," Terri smiled weakly. The Bladebreakers and The Wildcats were finally able to visit Terri in the hospital. It was late afternoon. Terri sat up in the hospital bed.  
  
"We're going to advance to the next round," Lexis said.  
  
"And win!" Saber added jokingly.  
  
"What happened?" Solo asked Terri.  
  
"I don't know," she answered. "All I know was that I drank the juice, felt fine, went to battle, felt a slight cramp in my stomach, became weaker as the cramp got worst, started getting a headache, took three steps and collapsed."  
  
"Yeah, I'll say," said Tyson.  
  
"Are you going to be able to get out of the hospital today?" asked Ray.  
  
"The doctors think I can leave the hospital a little later today but they warned me not to eat so fancy."  
  
"That's great!" Kenny smiled. Ray nudged at Kenny.  
  
"Let's leave the two of them alone first," he whispered. Kai and Solo got the idea and the two of them left the room. Ray, Saber, Tyson, Lexis and Kenny followed them to the hallway. Max leaned backwards on Terri's bed.  
  
"I'm sorry I let you down by losing," Max apologized.  
  
"I'm sorry too for being such a pushover in stomach aches," Terri replied. The two stared at each other, then laughed.  
  
"You're really sweet Max," Terri smiled.  
  
"Well here's something to add to it," Max said. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. Terri didn't stop him. As Max pulled back, Terri smiled, a slight pinkish blush on her face.  
  
"You ARE sweet," she teased. Max laughed. Little did they know that Tyson and Lexis was peeking at them from behind the door.  
  
"Well, that's another couple," Lexis sighed. "First Kai and Solo, then you and me, and now Max and Terri." They looked around. Kai and Solo were sitting back to back on a bench, with Solo taking Kai's scarf and touching it. Kai didn't mind, surprisingly. Max and Terri were inside the hospital room. Ray and Saber were telling jokes to each other for the 50th time, sitting side by side on a bench. Kenny was talking to Dizzy about today's match. Lexis sighed as she leaned on Tyson's shoulder with her elbow.  
  
"Guys," Kenny said. "Looks like only Terri's bottle of juice was poisoned. The rest of them were all fine, but the BBA still wanted to apologize for that sabotage and took them all back. I suggest we stick to water now."  
  
"You mean somebody jinxed Terri's drink on purpose?" Tyson asked in disbelief.  
  
"I guess," Kenny answered.  
  
"Just chill out guys," Lexis said. "I'm pretty sure Terri will be released out of the hospital soon. So why not wait till Mr. Dickenson comes back with the bus?"  
  
"Yeah," Saber yawned. "In the mean time, I'm going to sleep."  
  
"Me too," Ray sighed as he closed his eyes. Saber rested her head on his shoulder and Ray rested his head on top of hers. Kai didn't go to sleep, but allowed Solo to rest her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist. Tyson and Lexis sat down, head on shoulder and closed their eyes. Kenny continued talking to Dizzy. As for Max and Terri, the two of them continued chatting about their lives, happy that they now had a boyfriend/girlfriend.  
  
* * * Sorry if that turned out really lame. I was in a hurry to finish it!  
  
~ Zero2- the-scyther 


	9. A victory for now!

One True Team  
  
~ Thanks for reviews! And I'll try to update it earlier! Enjoy! ~  
  
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~ * ~ * ~* ~* ~*  
  
"One down, and three more matches to go!" Tyson cheered as he pumped his fist into the air. "I'm glad we won that round yesterday!"  
  
"That means we still have a quarter finals round, a semi-finals round, and a final round. That is if we get there," Kenny explained.  
  
"Say, where are Terri and Max?" asked Lexis. The Bladebreakers and the Wildcats were standing in the hallway of the locker rooms. Outside was the stadium. It was the second match for the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats and also the first match of the day. Just then, a cell phone rang. The Wildcats all turned to look at Saber.  
  
"What? I didn't bring my C.P. here. Besides, Solo broke it."  
  
"Well, if you didn't talk on the phone for 2 hours in the bus LOUDLY and CONTINUOUSLY, I would have spared it."  
  
"Oh. Right. . . . . . Anyways, I'm giving up on C.P.'s and switching to MSN."  
  
"Sorry, it's my phone." Chief searched through his pockets, then pulled out a small cell phone. Flipping it open, he said, "Hello? Yes. I see. So they're not coming today? Oh. Okay. I hope she's better tomorrow. No problem sir. Bye."  
  
"Was that Mr. Dickenson?" asked Ray.  
  
"Yeah," answered Kenny. "Terri still seems to be physically tired and exhausted. So the doctors want her to rest in the hospital for one more day before battling again. Max is going to stay with her in the hospital so she wouldn't get lonely, and they're going to watch us battle on T.V."  
  
"I see," Lexis said.  
  
"Does that mean that Kai and Solo would have to fill their place?" asked Tyson.  
  
"Yeah," Solo answered. Kai crossed his arms.  
  
"Okay," Kenny said. "Do you know what order you battle in?"  
  
"Yeah," Saber nodded. "Ray and I go first, Tyson and Lexis second, and then Kai and Solo third."  
  
"This ought to be a breeze," Kenny said. "Because Dizzy managed to check out the other team's profiles and they're not so high."  
  
"Alright," Ray said. "Let's go."  
  
"Whoo-hoo!" DJ Jazzman cheered as the two teams came out. "Alright, folks! Please welcome from this end: The Bladebreakers and the Wildcats!" The crowd cheered as a light focused on the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Hey look. Here comes our team! Go Wildcats! Go Bladebreakers!" Terri cheered as she sat up in the hospital bed, watching the TV. Max, who was sitting in a chair beside her in the hospital room, smiled. Terri hadn't been this active ever since she got food poisoned.  
  
"Glad to see you hyper," Max laughed. Terri laughed teasingly.  
  
"You're the one who's always hyper, Max," she said in a teasing voice.  
  
"I just hope the nurse won't throw me out for noise-disturbance," Max said, looking about.  
  
"She won't. Now, let's watch the battle."  
  
~ Back to Tyson and the gang~  
  
"This is going to be a cinch," Tyson told Lexis. Lexis shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"And on this end, please welcome the Petroes and the Bombers!" The crowd cheered as the other teams entered the ring. Ray and Saber stood up as the rest of the team sat down onto the bench.  
  
"Ready, Saber?"  
  
"Ready Ray."  
  
"And for the first match for today, please welcome Saber and Ray from the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats, and also Alex and Jacqueline from the Petroes and the Bombers." The black-haired girl and the blonde-haired girl smiled playfully at Ray and Saber.  
  
"Ready to get these guys, Jackie?" Alex asked.  
  
"Ready." The four players got into position.  
  
"Well, get ready AJ because here we go!"  
  
"Got that right, Brad!"  
  
"3 . . . . 2. . . . 1. . . . Let it Rip!"  
  
"Let it rip!" Alex yelled.  
  
"Let's do some damage!" Jackie shouted.  
  
"GO Driger!" Ray exclaimed.  
  
"Get 'em, Panthera!" Saber called out. The four beyblades spun in the dish.  
  
"Optical illusion, activate!" Alex and Jackie shouted. Their beyblades combined and spun so fast that it seemed like there were 8 beyblades spinning instead of 2. "Attack!"  
  
"Oh no!" Saber gasped as the beyblades started heading towards Panthera. "Keep up the defense!"  
  
"Don't worry Saber," Ray smiled slyly. "I managed to keep my eye on one of the real beyblades. Driger, tiger claw attack!" Driger flew up in the air, and dived down to attack Jackie's real beyblade. Jackie's beyblade wobbled, then the optical illusions disappeared.  
  
"Oh no!" Jackie exclaimed. "Alex, I've lost my spin and the attack Ray did to my blade caused all my illusions to disappear!" Alex just winked.  
  
"Don't worry, I've got another plan. Go to stage two."  
  
"Alright. Let's do this!" Jackie and Alex's beyblades spun around the dish, faster and faster each time. Since their beyblades were red and so was the dish, their beyblades blended the color to camouflage themselves. Saber squinted her eyes, trying to see where the beyblades were. Ray growled.  
  
"Oh no! Where did they go?" All of a sudden, something hit Panthera, making it wobble a bit. Saber gasped as Panthera was pushed slightly about in the dish.  
  
"This is bad!" Kenny shrieked. "Both Saber and Ray can't see their opponents' beyblades! And they can lose like this! What should we do?"  
  
"I say we eat," Tyson said, making Lexis anime sweat-drop.  
  
"Never mind," Kenny sighed.  
  
"They must know where their beyblades are and are ordering them to attack us!" Ray realized.  
  
"Ray, get ready! I'm going to give them a taste of their own medicine!" Saber winked at Ray. Ray smiled.  
  
"Alright!"  
  
"Panthera! Black Night Illusion!" Immediately, the entire dish turned black, camouflaging Panthera.  
  
"And look at this, AJ!"  
  
"Yeah, Brad! I say that things have turned completely upside down!"  
  
"Hey, Saber is doing the same move as she did on Ray!" Lexis realized.  
  
"I get it now!" Kenny said. "If the entire dish turns black, Jackie and Alex's blade cannot hide in it, since the color is black and not red. That way, Ray can see where the two blades are and order Driger to attack them!"  
  
"Clever plan," Ray commented. Saber grinned slyly. "Driger, tiger claw attack!" Driger attacked Jackie's beyblade and send it flying out of the stadium.  
  
"Panthera, night cat attack!" Bam! Alex's blade went out as well.  
  
"I don't believe it! Saber and Ray have won!" DJ Jazzman yelled. Saber and Ray gave each other a high-five.  
  
"Good thinking there, Saber," Ray said.  
  
"Thanks," Saber laughed.  
  
"And our next round will be Tyson and Lexis against PJ and Winnie!" DJ announced.  
  
"This ought to be a pretty good match, eh Bread?"  
  
"Yeah, and it's Brad, not bread!"  
  
"I'm so stoked for this!" Tyson exclaimed as he ran to the dish. "This one is going to be for Max and Terri!"  
  
"You got that right!" Lexis cried as she launched her blade. "Who ever is trying to stop us from reaching to the championships will never stop us!" A black haired guy and a shorthaired girl stepped up to the dish.  
  
"3. . . 2. . . 1. . . . Let it rip!" Four beyblades spun into the dish.  
  
"Go Dragoon!" Dragoon spun towards Winnie's blade and attacked her. However, Winnie managed to hold her ground and was defending herself against Dragoon. "Aw man!"  
  
"You're not going to get me that easily!" PJ yelled as Jagurah spun around his blade. Suddenly, PJ's blade spun away from Jagurah so fast that Lexis could only blink. Winnie's blade was doing the exact same thing. Both blades were running away from Jagurah and Dragoon at top speed.  
  
"Come back here!" Tyson yelled. Dragoon chased PJ and Winnie's blade around in a circle.  
  
"This is some kind of trick, isn't it?" Saber asked Kenny.  
  
"It could be," Kenny answered. "See, their blades are mostly endurance. So they can circle around the bowl until their opponents get tired."  
  
"Which is what they're doing to Tyson and Lexis right now!" Ray replied.  
  
"Tyson, we can't keep this up! Jagurah is starting to wobble and get tired," Lexis explained.  
  
"Alright! Dragoon, DJ Destruction!" Dragoon circled around the stadium, a hurricane spinning. Jagurah was sucked into the hurricane. Then it turned orange. Both Winnie and PJ's blades were stuck in the middle, nowhere to go.  
  
"Jagurah! Jaguar Paw Scratch!" In a flash, PJ's beyblade flew into the hurricane along with Winnie's. As the hurricane died down, PJ and Winnie's beyblades landed outside the dish.  
  
"And this one is over, Brad!"  
  
"You got that right Topper!"  
  
"And Tyson and Lexis wins the second round!" DJ shouted at the top of his lungs.  
  
"Yeah! We did it!" Tyson hugged Lexis as the audience applauded.  
  
"And last round for today will be Kai and Solo from the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats against April and Shawn."  
  
"This one will be over in a few seconds!"  
  
"It sure will, Brad!"  
  
"3. . . . 2. . . . 1. . . . Let it rip!" Bengalion and Dranzer zoomed in their opponents' blades.  
  
"Attack!" Kai and Solo said in unison. There was a loud crash as Shawn and April's blade crash landed outside the dish.  
  
"And the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats advances to the next round tomorrow!" Kai and Solo walked back in silence as the rest of the team cheered for them.  
  
"Alright!" Max exclaimed as he saw Kai and Solo winning the match on TV. " They did it!" Terri smiled happily.  
  
"So they're pretty good," said the girl with black and red highlighted hair. "Hmm. . . ." She was sitting in the crowd again, observing the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats. It was the same girl who had watched them when Terri had got food poisoned.  
  
"Say, what should we do with them?" asked the other girl with brownish red hair.  
  
"Don't worry," the first girl answered, her black eyes gleaming. "I've got a plan that just might put a stop to their team and the championships. We'll see."  
  
"You sound very confident and calm," said the second girl. "Unlike your usual harshness and cold act."  
  
"I'm just hoping that Solo will enjoy her last visit in Russia before her team is disqualified from the championships for good!" The girl stood up, all dressed in black. "We'll meet pretty soon, Solo. Right after I take care of your teammates. . . . . ."  
  
~ sorry if it was too short! Kind of wrote it in a rush! Oh well! Hope you enjoyed it!~~  
  
~ Zero2-the-scyther~ 


	10. Trouble begins

One True Team  
  
~ Enjoy~  
  
***********************************************  
  
It was night. The girl with black hair and red highlights was sitting in the chair. She wore the V-necked sleeveless black shirt and black pants. Her black eyes were alert and cold. She got out of the chair and walked over to the window. Behind her stood the girl with the reddish brown hair. Her light brown eyes shone in the room. Another girl came out.  
  
"Is this good enough?" she asked the girl with the black hair and red highlights. The girl turned around and stared at her. The girl had brown hair tied into a braid. She had indigo eyes and was wearing a black high collared top with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and black sports pants. A small name sticker stuck onto the front of the shirt. A black cap covered her hair as she shuffled around in the room. "I still don't get why I have to dye my hair, wear indigo colored contacts, dress in these clothes, and-"  
  
"Quiet! You do want to win that championship, don't you? We're going to get that championship, but first, we need to put a stop to the Wildcats!"  
  
"Besides," said the second girl. "It's only temporary dye, you know." The third girl nodded.  
  
"Alright," she gave in.  
  
"You know what the plan is," the first girl said.  
  
"Yeah," the girl answered. "I'll stay out of hiding until you guys pick me up in the bus."  
  
"Everything's under control," the second girl told the first girl, obviously the leader. The girl grinned evilly.  
  
"Just you wait, Solo." The name on the name sticker was Saber.  
  
* ~ * ~*~ * ~ *~ *~ *~  
  
Saber surprisingly woke up in the morning around 5:30 am. Noticing that the other girls were all asleep, Saber quickly got dressed as quietly as she could after a morning shower. Slipping on her favorite black cap, Saber quietly sneaked out of the room and out their hotel room, closing the door behind her. Little did she know that Solo had over heard her sneaking out the door.  
  
Saber snuck out of the hotel and went to a park nearby. The sky was barely bright and hardly anyone was even up yet. Settling herself on a bench, Saber did one of her favorite things: watch the sunrise. That would be her second most favorite thing to do. The first thing would be watching the moon. Saber always watched the moon and the sun by herself because she liked watching it alone and because no one really had interest in watching full moons and sunrises/sets. Lexis didn't care much about nature, Terri only talked about the stars and her horoscopes, and even though Solo mentioned the full moon once in a while, she didn't really thought gazing at a round circle every night was any fun. So Saber watched it by herself. Sighing, she watched as the sun slowly crept up from the horizon and lightened up the sky.  
  
At the same time. . . . . .  
  
The birds chirped a few notes as the girl walked down the store. Long brown braid, black clothes, black hat, and a simple white nametag on the front. Smiling wickedly, the girl stopped in front of a Seven Eleven store. Since it was opened twenty-four seven, the storekeeper tiredly gazed up when the door opened.  
  
"Begin Operation Destruction," said the voice on the girl's earphone. The girl walked down the aisle, then grabbed an apple off the shelf and ran down the aisle, kicking a couple of shelves as she ran, causing boxes and cans to fall off.  
  
"Hey you!" the storekeeper yelled loudly. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Come back here!" The girl ran past him, a sheet of paper falling behind her as she slammed the door in the storekeeper's face. "Come back!" The storekeeper raised a fist at the running girl, but she was too far ahead for him to catch up. "Thief! You rascal! I'll get you for this, you little rat!" The storekeeper ran back into the store and picked up the phone.  
  
"Operator, get me the police!" he yelled into the phone. There was a few seconds of silence before the storekeeper continued. "Yes, officer! I'm reporting to you because some teenage girl just stole an apple from my store and wrecked it! . . . . . She came here around. . . . eh. . . 5:35, I think. . . . yeah, stole an apple, kicked a couple of shelves in the aisles, knocked goods over and didn't even bother paying for the wreckage or the apple!!!! Description? . . . . uh. . . . medium height, I suppose. . . . . brown hair. . . . long braid. . . . . indigo blue eyes perhaps. . . . . . eh. . . black high collared shirt. . . . sleeves were rolled up to the elbows. . . . . . black pants. . . . . black cap. . . . cap?. . . . I don't know which brand, for Pete's sake!. . . . . . and. . . I do recall a nametag on the front of the shirt. . . . let's see. . . . it said. . . . Sasica. . . no. . . Sandy. . . . no. . . . .Salad. . .no way. . . . um. . . . Sa-something. . .. . ." The storekeeper paused when he spied the piece of paper the mysterious thief had dropped. It was a photograph of four girls. The photograph had the name the Wildcats on it. Four girls were in the photo. The bottom of the photograph read, "Beybladers of the Wildcats from left to right: Solo, Terri, Lexis and Saber".  
  
Hmm, the storekeeper thought. It must be that braided girl in the picture. Saber, hmm. "Uh yes?. . . . . . I think the name of the girl is Saber. . . . . . yeah. . . . . details?. . . . . well the girl dropped this photograph and from the look of it, I say that girl is a beyblader. . . . . the Wildcats. . . . . I do have a security camera. . . . . . yes. . I'll replay the tape for you. . . . Yes . . . thank you. . . . .the girl ran down the street and disappeared. . . . . . . okay. . . . . thanks. . . . . . .. no, I do not sell doughnuts!. . . . . ."  
  
~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
"Wake up!" Max yelled. Kenny whacked Tyson on the head with a pillow.  
  
"Tyson, if you don't hurry, we'll miss the quarter final round!" Kenny cried. Ray and Kai didn't even bother to go in the room. Instead, they sat down on the couch with Solo and Lexis. Terri decided to go help Max and Kenny with Tyson.  
  
"Morning," Lexis greeted Ray and Kai.  
  
"Morning to you," Ray responded. Kai just kind of nodded as Solo sat beside him.  
  
"Tyson won't get up again?" Lexis asked Ray.  
  
"Yeah," Ray answered in disbelief. "You won't believe how late he wakes up!"  
  
"At least Terri's back and healthy," Lexis sighed.  
  
"Say, where's Saber? She's usually here to liven things up," Ray said.  
  
"You mean you haven't seen her either?" Lexis asked.  
  
"Eh. . . . yeah. . . . . why?" Ray sputtered in surprise.  
  
"Oh. I don't know. I thought maybe she was with you," Lexis said in a teasing voice that made Ray turn pink. "You know. She kind of likes you, and you kind of like her, so. . ."  
  
"Anywaaays, what do you mean she's not with you?" Ray changed the subject. Lexis turned serious again.  
  
"Saber wasn't in bed this morning when we woke up. Maybe she went outside or something, but who knows?" Lexis shrugged.  
  
"She did get up early in the morning," Solo said slowly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Ray asked.  
  
"She got up in the morning, and left the hotel room."  
  
"Will she come back?" Kai asked quietly.  
  
"She will. She has to," Lexis answered. "Otherwise, she can't battle."  
  
"She'll probably come back soon," Ray insisted. "Maybe she just went to get a drink or something."  
  
"She got up around 5 in the morning," Solo said.  
  
"Huh?" Lexis stuttered. "Why would Saber do that?" At the moment, the door opened and in stumbled Saber, panting and all. Her face was red and she was breathing heavily. Ray smiled in relief that she'd come back. It worried him for a while that Saber was missing.  
  
"Hey Saber," Lexis said. "Where've you been?"  
  
"Uh. . . . . I was up again in the park. . . ." Saber said in a hurry. "Hi Ray!"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Alright, I'm up already!!!" Tyson shouted from the room. Lexis laughed, as she went inside. Saber took her spot and sat next to Ray. Ray blushed slightly as he looked at her cute face.  
  
"So, where've you been?" he asked her. "You look like you've been running."  
  
"Yeah," Saber sighed. "I was. I realized what the time was and quickly ran back here."  
  
"Are we going yet?" asked Solo.  
  
"Until Tyson gets here, we'll have to wait," Kai answered in disgust.  
  
"Okay! I'm back!" Tyson yelled as he ran out of the room, then tripped over his own feet. Lexis laughed as Max, Kenny, and Terri shook their heads.  
  
"Let's get going. We have to board the bus, or Mr. Dickenson will get mad at us for being late," Lexis told them.  
  
"What about breakfast?" Tyson gawked.  
  
"We'll worry about that later," Max told him.  
  
"In the mean time, let's go," said Terri.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
"Are we there yet?" asked Tyson impatiently. He started fidgeting in his seat. Lexis, who was beside him, sighed and kissed Tyson on the cheek. That calmed him down a bit.  
  
"Almost there Tyson," she answered. Max and Terri, who were sitting in the back, were laughing and chatting cheerfully. Once in a while, Terri would peck Max on the cheek. Or maybe Max would do that to Terri. Oh well. Ray and Saber, as usual, were trying to tell jokes to challenge each other.  
  
"Here's a lame joke: A man walked into a bar. Ouch!" Saber laughed at the terrible joke.  
  
"That was lame, Ray! But I've got a better joke-" And so on and so forth. Kai and Solo, however, were enjoying themselves peacefully: which was being quiet. Occasionally, Solo would play with Kai's scarf (which Kai surprisingly didn't mind) and Kai would sometimes put an arm around Solo's waist or shoulder. And very rarely, they would kiss each other in public.  
  
"Here we are!" Kenny pointed out to the window.  
  
"Alright!" Tyson pumped his arm in the air. "Let's go! I can't wait to let it rip in the stadium!" Tyson gleefully grabbed Lexis' arm, which she didn't mind and had gotten used to, and ran off together down the bus.  
  
"This is the way to the lockers," Max said as he pointed to a hallway.  
  
"Let's go!" Tyson yelled.  
  
"Not so fast!" A police officer stepped out from the shadows and held his badge. "Officer Carter, from Russia Police Department. Your team is suspended from this battle for today."  
  
"What?" Ray and Saber exclaimed.  
  
"Hold on a second here," Tyson objected. "What do you have that's against us from going inside the lockers' room?"  
  
"You are to come with me," Officer Carter said. "We'll talk afterwards. Another team will play in your places for now."  
  
"But why?" Tyson yelled again.  
  
"Yeah," Max said angrily. "Why aren't we allowed to beybattle today? We're the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats."  
  
"I know who you are," the policeman answered. "Please come with me."  
  
"Not until we find out why we can't beyblade," Lexis said.  
  
"One of your team members has done something against the law just recently. According to the beyblade tournament rules, anyone who has done anything illegal in the last two years is not allowed to beyblade. There will be more details. If you come with me, we will explain everything."  
  
"W-what?" Kenny sputtered. The team(s) had no choice but to follow the policeman down the hall. But they were discussing this issue among themselves.  
  
"I don't get it, Lexis," Tyson sighed. "What does the police mean that somebody did something illegal?"  
  
"I don't know either," Lexis answered.  
  
"Do you think it could be Kai?" Max asked, thinking of Kai's past and his grandfather Voltaire. "Maybe Biovolt made him do something."  
  
"No. And leave me out of it," Kai answered coldly.  
  
"Just wondering," Max laughed nervously.  
  
"We'll find out soon," Saber said. The policeman led them through a hallway and into a room. Inside were a man, another police, and Mr. Dickenson.  
  
"Mr. Dickenson!" Kenny breathed out in relief. "What's going on here?"  
  
"I'm not quite sure about it boys and girls," said Mr. Dickenson.  
  
"Yeah! That's her! That's the little creep who stole from my shop!" the man exclaimed angrily. He pointed crazily at Saber, his Seven-Eleven shop apron shaking. It was the shopkeeper. Saber just kind of gawked at the man as if he was insane. The other police stepped forward, flipping open his badge.  
  
"Officer Barton, from Russia Police Department. Saber, you're under arrest!"  
  
"W-what?" Saber stuttered in shock.  
  
"Now hold on a second," Ray interrupted. "We're came here for a beyblade battle, and you're stopping us so you can arrest Saber?"  
  
"She stole from my shop, kid," the storekeeper shouted.  
  
"What do you mean?" Saber grinded her teeth. "I didn't steal anything from your store!"  
  
"Yes you did!" the storekeeper argued.  
  
"Hold on a second!" Mr. Dickenson cut in angrily. "Officer Carter, please explain yourself."  
  
"At around 5:30 to 5:40, early this morning, a girl went into Howard's Seven Eleven store, stole an apple, and damaged some of the merchandise there. The girl ran down the street and managed to escape. She dropped this- " Officer Carter showed the picture of the Wildcats. "-on the way out. The girl was wearing a black hat, a high-collared black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, sports pants, and had indigo colored eyes and a long brown braid." The police eyed at Saber, who growled.  
  
"Where were you this morning from 5:30 - 5:40, Saber?" Officer Barton questioned. Saber sighed. Everyone was looking at her anxiously.  
  
"I got up at 5:30 this morning, dressed up, and went outside. I went to the park and stayed there until 7:55. Then I ran back to the hotel so I wouldn't miss the beyblade tournament."  
  
"What were you doing in the park?"  
  
"Geez people! I was watching the sunrise!" Saber snapped annoyingly.  
  
"Riiiiiight," the storekeeper said sarcastically. "I bet you lied!"  
  
"I never lie," Saber shot back.  
  
"We will show you the video later and will ask you some more questions later. Meanwhile, your team will not miss the battle tomorrow. Since your team was brought here for questioning, we put in another team that was ready to battle tomorrow today, so you can battle tomorrow," Officer Barton explained.  
  
"And one last question: Did you ever steal in your life, Saber?" The room turned silent as Saber closed her eyes painfully. Ray could see a drop of sweat trickling down her forehead.  
  
". . . . . . . . Yes. . . . . . I have. . . . . . ."  
  
* * * * * * * * ** * * * * ** * * *  
  
"You mean you have a criminal record?" Ray asked quietly to Saber. It was night, and the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats were eating silently at a restaurant. But not any of them ate much due to what had happened today. Not even Tyson could eat more than three of his usual helpings.  
  
"Y-yeah, Ray," Saber answered quietly.  
  
"Why the heck would you wake up at 5:30 in the morning just to see a sunrise?" Tyson asked coldly. "I could have woken up just to take something out of a store too you know!" Saber death glared at Tyson. For the first time since Ray had met her, the cheerful smile disappeared from Saber's face. She banged on the table with her fist and stood up.  
  
"You think I stole from that cursed store, don't you?" she growled angrily. Everyone in the restaurant looked up in surprise. Saber pointed angrily at Tyson. "Well, let me tell you something. I may have been a thief before, but I never stole anything for the last four years! If none of you will believe me, then I'll just leave!" Tears formed in her eyes as Saber threw her knife on the table and stormed out of the restaurant.  
  
"Saber. . . ." Ray looked at where Saber had ran and started to get up. Kai stopped him.  
  
"Just leave her alone until she's calmed down. She needs some time alone by herself," he told Ray. Ray nodded in understanding.  
  
Tyson gawked at the knife. The knife had gotten stuck in the wooden table, the dull end facing up with the blade halfway in the wood. Lexis and Terri shivered.  
  
"Tyson," Solo said quietly after a moment had passed. "You shouldn't be too hard on Saber. She's had a hard life."  
  
"I'm sorry," Tyson apologized. "It's just that. . . I can't believe Saber out of all people has a criminal record."  
  
"Me neither," Ray agreed. "I just hope nothing happens to her. . . . ." 


	11. Saber's dark past

One True Team  
Enjoy the story! I'm sorry if I update soooo late! This chapter continues from what was left off from the last chapter!  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
The rest of the dinner was pretty quiet. There was no one really talking. Everyone was still quiet from the time Saber left the room. Tyson numbly picked his food with a fork. Finally, he banged the table with his fist, making their glass cups dance.  
  
"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I said those things to Saber! I didn't know she would take things this serious," Tyson cried. Everyone jerked up their heads.  
  
"Hey, it's okay Tyson," Lexis told him. "We know that it was just an accident. Saber will get over it very quickly. She always does. I'm sure you will too."  
  
"She's just stressed out from the fact that the police is accusing her. . . . again," Solo mumbled.  
  
"What do you mean by 'again'?" asked Ray.  
  
"Saber's had a pretty rough life," Solo said quietly. "She was an orphan and didn't have a real family all her life. She didn't even have any relatives and no money. At the age of seven or maybe a bit younger, she started stealing from stores to survive on the streets. Sometimes she got caught, and sometimes she got away. But ever since she heard about beyblading, she managed to get her own beyblade somehow and has been blading on the streets for money ever since. Saber managed to survive on the streets in an alley or something for quite a number of years now. So when Mr. Dickenson heard about her amazing beyblading skills, he took her in and managed to put her on a team. That team turned out to be us."  
  
"Wow," Kenny and Tyson breathed.  
  
"Now I understand how come she was so angry when accused of stealing," Ray murmured. "It probably reminded of her past."  
  
"How come you know so much Saber?" Max asked.  
  
"Saber wasn't the only one with bad experiences," Terri explained. "Solo here has a bad experience too."  
  
"That's true," Solo admitted. "My parents were killed when I was only 5. I ended up living with my. . . uh. . . sister for 2 years. She taught me how to beyblade and if we were to battle two on two, we always won. However, she started to act evil the moment she got her bit-beast and tried to convince me to become evil too. After two months of this, I ran away and never saw her again."  
  
"That's enough depressing stories for one night," Max sighed.  
  
"Listen, we've got to find Saber," said Ray. "Then maybe we can somehow find a way to prove that she's innocent."  
  
"How can you be sure she IS innocent?" asked Kai.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It IS pretty suspicious that a person such as Saber would wake up just to see a sunrise," Kai answered coldly.  
  
"The truth is this: Saber really loves nature. She loves watching the moon, the stars, and the sun," Solo explained.  
  
"So she really did get up at 5: 30 in the morning for a sunrise?" asked Terri.  
  
"I supposed so cause I've seen her do this routine before for a couple times now," Solo answered.  
  
"How do you know so much about Saber, Solo?" asked Lexis. "I knew a little about her having a criminal record and I also knew she liked watching the moon, but I didn't know she was an orphan and a street thief. You would be the last person I thought who would know so much about Saber."  
  
"Same here," Terri agreed.  
  
"And what's that suppose to mean?" Solo asked sarcastically.  
  
"Huh?" Kenny blurted out.  
  
"What do you mean you don't know about Saber?" asked Tyson. "I thought you guys knew each other inside out!"  
  
"Saber tends to keep everything bad on the inside and shows every good on the outside," Solo answered quietly. "She told me about her past life when I told her about my. . . . uh. . . . sister. I was the only person besides Mr. Dickenson, I suppose, who really knew about her past life."  
  
"Oh." The teens were interrupted by the faint sounds of thunder. Ray sighed dully.  
  
"Looks like it's starting to rain," he mumbled. "I hope Saber's alright."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Saber sighed as rain started to fall gently out of the sky. She had run up the stairs from the restaurant floor to the restaurant's roof. The building had three floors. Saber looked around. The roof had a few metal railings around, a few wooden boxes, and a door to the stairs. Nobody was around. She walked toward the boxes and sat down on one of them. Rain soaked Saber's hair as it poured down from the dark black sky. The moon shone dimly as faint sounds of thunder was heard.  
  
Why can't anyone understand that I've changed my ways when I was younger? Saber thought in frustration. I've changed a lot, and I no longer steal anything.  
  
The rain responded to Saber's thoughts as a single bolt of lightning appeared in the sky.  
  
I better go soon, she thought. Somebody might arrest me for something I didn't do. I might never see them again. Not Lexis, not Terri, not Solo and . . . . not Ray. I'll never see them.  
  
Saber sighed as she thought of Ray. He was really nice and she really loved his jokes. But what she really liked about him was that he liked her the way she was. Saber shook her head.  
  
I better get over him soon, but that's next to impossible. Maybe I shouldn't go yet. Maybe I still have a chance of proving myself innocent to that stuck up shopkeeper, and maybe my team will accept me back. I just hope I wasn't too harsh on Tyson. Oh great! I was just mad at this guy a few minutes ago! Oh well!  
  
Saber stood up and turned to face the moon. The moon shone dimly in the dark foggy night, but to Saber, it shone like a bright glittering star. It gave her courage and hope. She stared at the dark sky above while she calmed down for a few minutes. Then she finally cracked a cheerful smile.  
  
"Alright!" she said to herself. "Ready or not, I'm going to bust down to the restaurant like the Terminator and face those police creeps (meaning Officer Carter)!"  
  
"Huh?" Saber turned around. She thought she had heard slight noise. It sounded like a shoe squeaking against the wet floor. Saber focused her eyes about in the dark. No one was there. Saber started to walk to the door when there was a thump. Turning around, Saber saw another figure a meter behind her. The person had long hair in the form of a braid, a black cap, and black clothing. Well, at least it looked like black clothing in the darkness.  
  
"Who are you? Ray, is that you?" The person in black made no response. A single bright bolt of lightning brightened up the sky. Saber could see the person grin, and then charged forward. Saber was knocked to the floor when the person rammed his or her shoulder into her. The person didn't stop there. The moment Saber was up on her feet, the person ran again and punched her. Luckily, Saber dodged that attack and punched back the person. The person continued fighting Saber. Saber tried defending herself karate style. From Saber's quick thinking, that person was most likely a girl than a guy.  
  
"Ahh!" Saber cried as she was kicked in the head. This girl must be a professional boxer! She thought.  
  
The girl grinned as Saber fell onto the floor. The rain was pouring down even worst than before.  
  
"Had enough yet?" the person asked sarcastically.  
  
"I never have enough," Saber grinned stubbornly.  
  
"Oh. Too bad the police are going to arrest you, Saber, for stealing from a store," the girl laughed scornfully. Then turned serious again when Saber stood up.  
  
"Hmmph! Here's the deal: back off from tomorrow's beyblade match or I'll simply annihilate you right now!"  
  
"Since when are you the boss?"  
  
"Do not show up tomorrow's match and we will gladly leave your team alone." The girl cracked her knuckles to prove her point.  
  
"Never," Saber answered. "Our team has worked up this hard to the championships and we would rather get hurt than surrender! Hah!" Saber held up her fists. The girl frowned.  
  
"Fine then." The girl ran at top speed towards Saber, throwing a punch at her. Saber tried defending herself but her arms were getting pretty bruised. Even though she did know some karate, she was no expert compared to Solo. The girl punched again, followed by a karate kick. That threw Saber off balance, but she managed to elbow her attacker in the face. The girl cursed as she rubbed her eye. It was kind of bruised. Growling, the girl took something out of her pocket and aimed it at Saber.  
  
"This is your last chance: give up the championships or end up with black and blue bruises all week or maybe even a few broken bones!"  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
"Saber!" Ray yelled as he ran down the hall. He was trying to look for Saber in the building, since it had three floors. He was also starting to get worried about her.  
  
"Saber!" Lexis and Tyson shouted. They were also around the hall. Max, Terri, and Kenny had decided to search the ground floor. Solo and Kai were searching for Saber on the second floor while Ray, Tyson, and Lexis were walking, or running about in the third floor.  
  
"I don't get it! Where is she?" Tyson complained. "I just want to find her and apologize to her for what I said. Then we can have another talk with Officer Carter and tell him that Saber's innocent."  
  
"Hey guys," Ray said. "Why don't you search that way? I'll go this way and meet back if I don't find her. Okay?"  
  
"Okay with me, Ray," Lexis nodded.  
  
"Right," Tyson agreed. With that, the three teens separated.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
"Ugh!" Saber groaned as she clutched her left arm. Just seconds ago, the girl had held an object. The next, it had flew towards her and cut her arm. It was not a big cut, but blood starting to drip from the wound. The rain washed it away. The object turned out to be a beyblade. The girl then punched Saber in the face, punched her in the stomach, and then threw her karate style down onto the wooden boxes. Saber could only groan when she realized that she had somehow twisted her ankle because she couldn't move it without the pain making her groan. The girl frowned, then ran and exited from the roof down the stairs.  
  
Saber was on her back. She hadn't felt this much pain since the policeman had beat her up for stealing again as a punishment. The rain brushed past her face gently, even though it was pouring down like hell. The moon glittered. Saber closed her eyes. Darkness overtook her. A few minutes later, she could have sworn she heard somebody call her name and touching her face.  
  
"Saber . . . . Saber!" Saber slowly opened one eye. It was still dark. Rain was still pouring. But it was much calmer and gentler than before. She found herself staring into Ray's eyes; those wonderful golden tiger eyes.  
  
"Hi Ray . . . ." she said weakly.  
  
"Saber, what happened to you?" Ray asked, his voice full of concern. "Don't move your arms, please." Saber's eyes focused. She was lying on her back, but her head was resting on Ray's lap.  
  
"I got beaten up by some girl with a beyblade, I think," Saber answered. She smiled wearily. "She was dressed exactly like me. She warned me to not battle tomorrow in the beyblade semi-finals, but I refused. So this is what happened."  
  
"Saber, I've been so worried about you."  
  
"Hey Ray?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I. . . . I'm sorry for losing my temper at Tyson in front of you and your teammates. It's just that. . . I . . . ." Saber forced herself to sit up, but was too tired to move. Ray gently lifted her up to his lap, so she sat on his lap. "I DID steal before, Ray. But I didn't even go near a Seven Eleven store the moment we went to Russia."  
  
"I believe you. We're going to prove that you're innocent for sure." The rain didn't bother Ray as he took a deep breath.  
  
"Saber. . . . ?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I . . . . . I really. . . like you. . . ." Saber smiled even happily as she looked into his eyes. Ray turned a bit pink.  
  
"I like you too, Ray." Ray looked into Saber's cobalt blue eyes as the gap between slowly closed. It was his first kiss, as well as her's too. The rain slowed down as Saber and Ray broke away from each other for air. Ray laughed as Saber yawned comically.  
  
"Can you do me two favors, Ray?" she asked cheerfully.  
  
"Name it."  
  
"One: help me downstairs cause I twisted my ankle. And two: don't send me anywhere near a doctor or a hospital?" Ray grinned. Saber laughed tiredly as he piggy-backed her on his back.  
  
"Alright! We better go back to the hotel room cause you're all bruised and wet!" Ray said seriously as he walked down the stairs. Saber could only smile and wrap her arms around his neck as they went inside the building.  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
"I don't get it!" Tyson moaned. "You got attacked by some judo expert and you're still grinning?"  
  
"You know Saber." Lexis shook her head. "If she's not smiling, then something's not right."  
  
"Gosh people," Saber said. "I'm okay. I just twisted my ankle, got a cut, and a few bruises."  
  
"Oh boy!" Terri groaned. The Wildcats and the Bladebreakers had returned to their hotel room and was watching TV while Ray was bandaging Saber's ankle. Already, purple bruises started showing up on Saber's arms and legs. Not to mention her cheeks.  
  
"What happened exactly?" Solo asked.  
  
"I was on the roof, watching the moon, and trying to calm myself down. Oh by the way," she added. "Sorry about losing my temper there, Tyson."  
  
"It's okay. I must say sorry too for accusing you," Tyson added.  
  
"Apology accepted," Saber answered. "Now, where was I?"  
  
"You were saying something about the roof," Max said.  
  
"Right. I was calming my self down and was thinking if I should leave the team for good or go back. I decided to go back because of uh . . . . .uh . . . ."  
  
"Because of Ray, right?" Solo smirked.  
  
"Hey! I never said that!"  
  
"You WERE going to say it."  
  
"So?" Saber put her arm around Ray's shoulder. "I like Ray. So? What about you and Kai, eh?" Solo frowned a bit, then walked next to Kai and gently kissed him on the cheek. The ice in Kai's eyes melted for three seconds before freezing up again.  
  
"I like Kai too. Okay?" Solo said, proving her point. "Now get on with the story."  
  
"Righty-o! I was about to go down to the restaurant again to apologize to Tyson and the rest of the team for my behavior. Then, this girl shows up. She has a long braid, a cap, and I think she was dressed in black. She attacked me and we starting fighting. I wound up on the floor. She then tells me to back off from the championships and no one, namely me, will get hurt. I, as a member of the Wildcats, refused. She gave me one last warning and held up a beyblade. I again refused. Then she ripped her beyblade and I blocked it with my arm and got this cut. She managed to punch me again in the stomach and then she threw me down. Afterwards, she left."  
  
"Well, you ARE alright are you?" Kenny asked worriedly.  
  
"Course I am!" Saber stopped laughing when the phone rang. Lexis walked towards the phone as Max lowered the volume on the TV. The Simpsons were on.  
  
"Hello? Yes, this is Lexis speaking. . . . . ." Lexis nodded, then turned her eyes toward Saber. Saber sighed as Ray put a hand around her waist. "Yes, she's alright. . . . . you. . . you know what happened tonight? . . . . . Yes, tell Mr. Dickenson that Saber's all right. . . . . . . . everyone's here. . . . . . . . but. . . Officer Carter, Saber's innocent! She hasn't been near a Seven Eleven Store since we got to Russia. . . . . . . . . Okay. Fine. What time tomorrow? . . . . 10:30? Okay, but sir, you DO understand we have a match tomorrow at 12. Yes they changed the time for tomorrow's match and we're on at 12 pm. Okay. . . . thanks for calling." Lexis hung up the phone.  
  
"What's up?" Solo asked.  
  
"Officer Carter's going to talk to us tomorrow at 10:30. If we still can't prove that Saber's innocent, then we're dead."  
  
"Mr. Dickenson told me that they have caught some shots of the thief in the store. He managed to email them to me," Kenny explained as he opened up his laptop.  
  
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Dizzy moaned.  
  
"Dizzy, it's time to get serious." Tapping a few keys, Dizzy showed a clip of the thief in the store. She looked almost exactly like Saber: long braid, dark clothes, black hat, indigo eyes. . . . . .  
  
"Dizzy and I DID manage to find something that proved that Saber was NOT the thief. Officer Carter said that the thief's eyes were indigo blue. Saber's eyes are cobalt blue. We even scanned through pictures of the thief and Saber. The colors are very similar, but cobalt blue is a bit more on the violet side than it is completely on blue," Kenny told them happily.  
  
"Alright! Way to go, Chief!!!" Tyson cheered.  
  
"Is that enough evidence to pull Saber out of the line of fire though?" Ray asked.  
  
"No. Eye colors aren't enough to convince a police. We can keep searching. Meanwhile, I suggest we go to sleep. We don't want to be tired for tomorrow."  
  
"Okay. Good night," Terri said as Max kissed her goodnight. Kai did the same thing to Solo. Tyson pecked Lexis on the cheek. Ray kissed Saber goodnight and helped her hop back to the girls' room.  
  
^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^  
  
Meanwhile, . . . . . . . .  
  
"So. Did you do as I told you to?" asked the leader.  
  
"Course I did. I managed to give that little Wildcat a couple of bruises. Though I have to admit, she's much challenging than I thought she would be." A dark brown haired girl came out. She was drying her hair with a towel. Her emerald green eyes flashed sharply.  
  
"Great job. With Saber framed as a thief and no one to stop us, we will win this championship like a flock of locusts! Solo won't get in my way this time!" The black haired girl with the red highlights held up her beyblade. It was black and red, just like the colors of her hair. However, it had more red than black.  
  
"There's just one thing I don't get," the second girl complained. "If you wanted to get revenge on Solo, why didn't you just show your face to her and laugh in her face instead of asking me to go on a suicide mission! Stealing from stores and beating the crap out of a beyblader are not the easiest things to do around here." The girl flipped the towel onto her shoulder and put her hands on her hips. There was a purple bruise near her right eye.  
  
"We still might meet. If the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats manage to somehow prove that Saber's innocent, we may still have a chance of meeting them. However, I highly doubt that." A smile cast on the girl's face. "And if we do meet them, we'll annihilate them!"  
  
~ I kind of wrote that in a hurry. Tell me what u thought of it! ~ Zero2- the-scyther 


	12. Framed for good?

One True Team  
  
~Enjoy!! ~  
  
* * * ** * * * * * * * *  
"Wake up, Saber!"  
  
"Alright alright already!" Saber tiredly sat up in bed, yawning as her eyes focused. Her ankle still hurt and she felt like she had crashed into a wall of bricks.  
  
"Aw man, you look like you just came from World War 2," Solo observed.  
  
"Yeah right," Saber rolled her eyes comically. "And who are you? Hitler?"  
  
"Be quiet," Solo smirked. "I'm just joking."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Saber started to say, but Lexis cut her off.  
  
"Listen, we have to still prove that you're innocent, Saber," she explained. She was still in her green pj's but had gotten up a bit earlier than usual. Saber wore black pajamas, Solo wore black with red edging, and Terri wore light blue.  
  
"But how?" Terri asked. "We're all convinced that Saber is innocent, but we don't really have any evidence to prove it."  
  
"Well, if we don't do something," Solo answered. "We'll have to forfeit our places in the championships."  
  
"That ain't going to happen," Saber replied.  
  
"Then can you prove that you weren't the thief in the video?" asked Lexis. Saber shrugged.  
  
"I KNOW I didn't go there," she insisted. "I just need to look at the video a few more times."  
  
"Well today's judgment day," Terri said. "We better do some research quick or we're doomed."  
  
"Also, we need to find out who's been doing all these sabotages and tricks to us," Lexis added. "It's a pretty cheap way to get us out of the championships."  
  
"Not to mention heartless," Terri agreed. "I suggest we do a little research on this."  
  
"Well, I suggest that we go back to sleep," Saber yawned, then groaned again as Terri and Lexis dragged her out of the bed. "Come on! Why can't I even get some sleep? I just got bruised, cut, and punched-in from yesterday!"  
  
"Sleep later," Lexis told her, as she and Terri continued dragging Saber across the carpet floor on her heels. "Right now, we need to prove you innocent."  
  
"Watch the ankle," Saber grumbled. Solo ignored them and looked outside the window. She felt weird about all the accidents, as if something she knew was lurking near by. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions again . . ..  
  
"Hey Solo! Come on!"  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
"Morning one and all!" Saber greeted.  
  
"Morning to you," Ray smiled as he kissed her on the forehead. Max and Terri had gone into Tyson's room to wake him up . . .. again.  
  
"So you feeling okay?" asked Ray.  
  
"Yeah. I the great saber-toothed panther is always alright," Saber declared, while Lexis and Solo anime sweat-dropped.  
  
"Okay," Lexis cut in. "Say, Kenny, did you find anything that might help us with the case?"  
  
"Not really," Kenny shook his head. "Unless I have the original video of the thief, we can't really do anything about it. Clips are just 30 seconds of filming, not the original thing."  
  
"Then let's go to Mr. Dickenson," Max said as he and Terri dragged Tyson on his heels out of the room. Tyson yawned loudly.  
  
"Alright," he shouted. "I'm awake already! Let's get going!"  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
"Morning, Mr. Dickenson," Kenny greeted him. "We need to see the original taping of the Seven Eleven Shoplifter."  
  
"Here you go then." Mr. Dickenson handed Kenny videotape. "Oh, Saber, are you feeling better yet?"  
  
"Better already, Mr. D," Saber smiled. "Though I'll have to hop around for a few days before my ankle heals. But I'll be wearing an ankle bracelet not to worry."  
  
"Come on," Solo nudged her. "It's 10 o'clock already, thanks to SOMEONE here."  
  
"Hey! I forgot to set my alarm clock, okay?" Tyson explained.  
  
"Where do we meet Officer Barton or Officer Carter?" asked Terri.  
  
"Well, you have to go to the beyblade stadium and Officer Carter said that he'll meet you at 10:30 in your locker room." Mr. Dickenson pushed up his glasses.  
  
"Thanks a lot," Ray replied.  
  
"Okay, let's get moving," Saber grinned.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
A few minutes later, the gang arrived at the beyblade stadium and had entered their locker room. A few benches were lying about with a table on the side and a TV and VCR was set up. No one was in sight.  
  
"Alright, let's go check things out," Tyson said. Kenny took the videotape Mr. Dickenson had given to him and slid it into the VCR. The TV was turned on and everyone stood near the TV so they could see. The time on the bottom left was 5:35 am. The video showed an aisle of shelves with boxes, food, and drinks on them. A counter with the storekeeper was seen next to the door. The storekeeper seemed to be apparently falling asleep.  
  
"Talk about falling asleep on the job," Tyson snickered.  
  
"I'll say," said Ray. Everyone watched in silence as a shadow appeared on the store's glass door. Then the door opened and a girl stepped in. Saber's eyes widened. That girl looked almost exactly identical as her.  
  
"No wonder everyone thought I did this theft," she murmured. "That girl's description matches mine exactly. Brown braid, black clothing, black hat, and blue eyes." The girl then walked down the aisle for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed an apple off the shelf and ran. The storekeeper was heard shouting, "Hey you! What the hell do you think you're doing! Come back here!" The girl was then seen running out the door.  
  
"Hey wait a second," Solo suddenly said. "That girl dropped something." Kenny quickly paused the video as Solo stepped up. She looked at the screen, and then pointed to something that was flying behind the girl.  
  
"Is it a ghost?" asked Terri.  
  
"Course not," Solo answered annoyingly. "It's a piece of paper. See, it's falling from that girl's pocket and down to the floor."  
  
"Maybe it was just an accident," Ray suggested. Kai glared at the TV. Then walked forward to where Kenny was. Grabbing the remote out of his hand, Kai rewind the tape, then played it again. At this point, the girl was walking down the aisle in full focus. She was looking at the camera. Kai paused the tape.  
  
"Look," he pointed to the girl's pants' pocket. "You can see already that there's a piece of paper is sticking out of her pocket."  
  
"Which can only mean one thing," Lexis realized. "That paper was meant to fall out of her pocket no matter what. It seemed like an accident, but really, it was part of the theft."  
  
"But what is on that piece of paper?" asked Max.  
  
"A picture," said a voice. Gasping, the two teams found themselves staring into the eyes of Officer Barton. Officer Carter, Howard the shopkeeper, and Mr. Dickenson entered the room while Officer Barton faced the beyblade teams.  
  
"So you made it," he said.  
  
"Skip the intros will you?" Tyson exclaimed. "Somebody framed Saber so you can arrest her for nothing!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Listen kid," Howard interrupted. "That girl stole from my store! She's right there on the security camera!"  
  
"Now hold on a second," Officer Carter cut in. "We need to explain some things first. I suppose you kids have already seen the video, right?"  
  
"Uh. . . you can say so," Kenny said.  
  
"Then perhaps you should explain yourself, kid!" Howard cried.  
  
"I didn't do anything, so shut up!" Saber growled.  
  
"Please calm down," said Mr. Dickenson. "Let's sit down and talk through this. These kids have a beyblade battle at 12, Officer Carter."  
  
"Right." Everyone sat at the benches as Officer Carter started talking again.  
  
"We did not find out where this girl has escaped to," he said. "But she did leave behind this." He held up a plastic bag. Inside the bag was a picture of the Wildcats. Terri took the picture and studied it.  
  
"Why would a girl have this picture inside her pocket? I know Saber never carries anything in her pocket except for gum. So it couldn't have been her."  
  
"Prove it," Howard exclaimed. Saber reached into her pockets and pulled out one package of gum.  
  
"What about your hotel key?" Officer Barton asked. Saber took a chain from inside her collared shirt around her neck and showed it to the policeman. On the end of it was a hotel key.  
  
"I always keep keys on a chain cause I always lose it in my pocket," Saber explained. Howard grunted.  
  
"Well, I still say that she's the girl who robbed my store!"  
  
"Saber, stand up." Howard and Officer Carter stood in front of her.  
  
"Was the girl this tall?"  
  
"Uh. . . . . I don't know. . . . . . maybe."  
  
"Was her hair this color?"  
  
"Uh. . . . . . ."  
  
"Don't even bother asking him questions," Kai snapped. "I'd rather you compare Saber to the girl on TV." Howard glared at Kai.  
  
"Hey! It's 5:35 in the morning! How the heck was I suppose to remember?!"  
  
"Anyways." Officer Carter placed Saber next to the TV. It showed a close up picture of the girl.  
  
"Hmm. . . . . . I'll be darned. They're almost identical. Clothing, hair, -"  
  
"That's it!" Kenny sprang up from the bench and ran up to where Saber was standing. "Saber's innocent!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's evidence clearly pointing out to it!"  
  
"There is?"  
  
"Yeah! First let me ask you this: how did you know her name, Mr. Howard?"  
  
"That stupid photo, of course!" Howard shouted.  
  
"No, you found that out afterwards. When you talked to me on the phone, you kept saying her name begins with SA," Officer Carter said, arms crossed.  
  
"The question is: how did you know that?" asked Officer Barton.  
  
"It said on her shirt on that name tag! See? It's on the TV!" Howard exclaimed.  
  
"True. But there is one negative point though. Saber here doesn't HAVE a nametag."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Now I get it!" Ray said. "Saber has never worn any name tag this whole time. Our team never wore any nametags either. So this means that she can't be the thief. The thief here DID wear a nametag, but Saber didn't."  
  
"Unless someone was trying to frame her, there will be no need to wear a name tag," Max said.  
  
"ALRIGHT!" Tyson cheered.  
  
"I still don't believe this," Howard sputtered.  
  
"Believe it," Lexis said.  
  
"Another thing," Kenny pointed out. "This girl you say has indigo eyes. Saber has cobalt blue eyes instead of indigo."  
  
"That's another point," Officer Barton added.  
  
"I just realized something," Max said. "Is your store on Main Street?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, our hotel is on Banth Street, which is fifteen blocks away. If Saber did wake up at 5:30, there's no way she could have made it to your store at 5:35."  
  
"Unless she drives a Porsche," Ray laughed. Howard sighed.  
  
"Okay okay, you got me there! Saber didn't steal from my store then." Walking up to Saber, Howard bowed. "Please forgive me for accusing you, miss. I'll make it up to you please!"  
  
"Well, you could give Tyson here some breakfast," Saber smiled. Tyson cheered.  
  
"So I'm for sure NOT getting arrested, right?" Saber asked the officers.  
  
"Right. But we need to find out who stole from the store."  
  
"We think this girl might link to the mysterious so-called-accidents that happened to us," Ray said.  
  
"I'll check that," Officer Barton said.  
  
"Meanwhile, you guys need to hurry up! It's almost time for your beyblade match," Mr. Dickenson pointed out.  
  
"Oh no! That's right!" Lexis slapped her forehead.  
  
"Excuse us, gentlemen, but we've got to hurry or we'll have to forfeit!" And with that, the two teams headed out the door.  
  
"I'm so glad this is all over," Saber sighed as she leaned on Ray's shoulder for support. She was hopping on one foot and was trying not to lose her balance. Ray laughed.  
  
"Same here," he smiled. "I think we should take the day off."  
  
"Yeah, I need some sleep."  
  
The four gentlemen shook their heads as they watched the teenagers rush out of the room like a cattle ranch.  
  
"Kids these days," Mr. Dickenson shook his head. "They never sit still."  
  
"You got that right," said Officer Carter.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~  
  
~Sorry, but that's all for now! I'll try to write more next time, k? tell me how that chapter was! ~  
  
* Zero2-the-scyther~*~ 


	13. Semifinals guaranteed a win?

One True Team  
  
~Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews! ~  
*********************  
"Come on," Tyson urged the teams. "We have to hurry!"  
  
"Do you think we don't know that?" Solo muttered. The two teams quickly ran down the hallway. They were already late by five minutes.  
  
"At least they know I'm innocent," Saber said sheepishly. She tried her best to run with the others, but her ankle was too weak to support her weight. "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up later," she told Lexis.  
  
"Okay," Terri nodded.  
  
"Let's go!" Tyson shouted. And within 5 seconds, everyone was gone. Except for Ray, who had stayed behind to help Saber.  
  
"Thanks Ray," Saber smiled.  
  
"No problem," Ray said as he helped Saber hop across the hallway.  
  
Meanwhile, the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats ran through the doors to the stadium and made it just in time.  
  
"Hello there kids! And this is Brad Best, bringing up today's scoop on the battle today!"  
  
"And this is his trusty sidekick, AJ Topper! We're fortunate to say that the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats have been able to stay in the tournament. I must say that today's match will be the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats against the RC's and the Circus Clowns!"  
  
"I can't wait till we get started! Today's match will determine who will go face to face with the winners from block B. Isn't this exciting?"  
  
"I'll say!"  
  
"Alright, gang!" Kenny said as they sat at their bench. "Who's going to battle today?"  
  
"Well, I don't think Saber's in any shape to battle," Terri pointed out. "She's too tired and exhausted from yesterday to even walk. Let's give her a break."  
  
"Okay," Max replied. "Then how about Terri and I go first?"  
  
"No wait," Solo cut in. She looked out to the crowd. Many people were sitting there, cheering and waiting for the battle to begin. "Can me and Kai go first?"  
  
"Uh. . . . ok. That alright with you Kai?" asked Kenny. Kai nodded.  
  
"We'll go first to see how good this team is," he murmured, looking at Solo. He knew she must be up to something, or she would never go first. Solo nodded.  
  
"Alright, Max and I can go second," Terri suggested.  
  
"Then Lexis and I will finish off the game!" Tyson said.  
  
Somewhere in the crowd, the girl with the black hair and red highlights stared at the teams in disgust.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"What's the matter? You don't look very pleased," said the girl with the reddish brown hair.  
  
"I thought that the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats have already been eliminated! They're not supposed to battle! I was quite sure our plan of framing Saber would work!"  
  
"Maybe SHE made a mistake when she was pretending to be Saber in the store," the other girl suggested.  
  
"Hmmmm. . . . . . . she would be severely punished for this. Meanwhile, let's see how good Solo plays now."  
  
"And representing the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats will be Kai and Solo!" DJ Jazzman sang through his mike. The crowd started cheering as Kai and Solo stepped up to the battle dish. Kai looked uncertainly at Solo, his face in an expression that kind of read 'what are you up to?' Solo noticed, then quickly kissed him.  
  
"I'll explain later," she whispered to him as Kai's face turned a bit pink.  
  
"And representing the RC's and the Circus Clowns will be Olivia and Shelly!" Two girls stepped up. One had orange hair tied up in pigtails while the other girl had sandy brown hair that was tied up in two braids. Olivia, the girl with the orange hair, had on a red and pink checker shirt and green shoes. Shelly was wearing a green and white checker shirt like Olivia and purple shoes. Both had on white make up with a star drawn around one eye and were wearing blue clown hats. Their red painted mouths were in two twin smirks.  
  
"So, this must be the great Kai we've been hearing about," Olivia smirked.  
  
"And you must be Solo, the one with the Bengalion bit-beast," Shelly grinned. Kai and Solo made no response.  
  
"Either these are clowns or they're really freaks," Tyson shivered.  
  
"Tyson!" Kenny exclaimed.  
  
"They're just bladers with an attitude," Lexis laughed.  
  
"I guess," Max murmured. The four players got into position.  
  
3. . . . . . 2 . . . . . 1 . . . . .. Let it rip!  
  
"Let it rip!" Olivia and Shelly shouted.  
  
"GO Dranzer!" Kai yelled.  
  
"Let's go Bengalion!" Solo exclaimed. Olivia and Shelly's blades circled around and around the battle dish until it was one fast moving circle. Solo and Kai's blades were forced in the middle.  
  
"Oh great!" Solo groaned.  
  
"This doesn't look very good," Kenny said as he typed on his laptop. "According to Dizzy, if either Bengalion or Dranzer hits the ring, they can automatically get knocked out of the stadium."  
  
"What?" Terri stuttered.  
  
"How can that be? Kai's never failed us and neither has Solo," Max said.  
  
"Unless there's someway of stopping their spin circle technique, there's no way Kai or Solo can order their beyblades to attack," Kenny explained. Solo glanced at Kai for some ideas. Kai stared back at her with an 'I've- got-an-idea' expression on his face.  
  
"Dranzer, flame thrower attack!" Kai's beyblade flared up with fire and shot some flames at the spinning circle. The circle however did not slowed down. Instead, a circle of fire rose from the two spinning beyblades as they continued circling. Shelly giggled.  
  
"I hate to break it to you, but since we work in the circus, we tend to have rings of fire," she smirked.  
  
"In other words," Kenny explained. "Their beyblades are able to absorb fire from opponents and use it as their circling technique to turn this into a ring of fire. Now, not only will beyblades get knocked out of the circle, but it will also burn too."  
  
"I hope Kai can get out of this one," Ray yawned. He was half asleep on the bench with Saber asleep on his shoulder, mainly cause they were both mentally exhausted.  
  
"Kai doesn't look upset though," Lexis pointed out. "And neither does Solo." Solo simply raised an eyebrow. She had caught onto Kai's scheme by now.  
  
"Bengalion, Bengal Tiger Scratch!" The fiery circle rose as the fire grew bigger. Each attack made by Kai and Solo increased the fire. The stadium was starting to feel warm. DJ Jazzman wiped the sweat off his brow.  
  
"It looks like these two players are playing with fire!" he yelled tiredly.  
  
"I don't get it!" Olivia complained. "Their beyblades should have already been history, but they just stay in one position."  
  
"And why do they keep firing fire attacks at us when they know that our ring can absorb fire attacks?" Shelly asked. Then suddenly, black smoke appeared. "WHAT?!" The circling beyblades suddenly crashed into each other, fire spinning about. There was a loud crack as Olivia's blade crashed into Shelly's as they rocketed towards the middle. The spinning circle had finally stopped.  
  
"Now, Collision Course Attack!" Kai and Solo shouted. With two clean strokes, Olivia and Shelly's blade crash-landed outside the bowl, smoke rising from it.  
  
"I don't believe it! Kai and Solo have won!" DJ Jazzman announced.  
  
"I get it now!" Kenny said. "Olivia and Shelly's beyblades couldn't take the pressure of too much fire. So their beyblades collapsed under too much fire."  
  
"It looks like this one is over, Brad!"  
  
"I'll say, AJ!"  
  
"Hmm. . . . not bad, for Solo at least," the girl murmured in the crowd. "That guy, Kai, must have somehow influenced her to cooperate as partners, like she did before."  
  
"And here comes round two!"  
  
"That's right Brad! Round two features the always awesome Max and Terri and the bouncing Seal and Flipper!" Two girls with dark blue hair and black wet suits stepped up to meet Max and Terri.  
  
"Hey, it's an honor fighting against you two," Seal smiled.  
  
"Pleasure is all ours," Max replied. They got into position.  
  
3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Let it Rip!  
  
The four blades hit the bowl and started to battle.  
  
"Let's try our defense plan," Max told Terri.  
  
"Right! Cougarah, begin defense shield!"  
  
"Draciel, begin defense maneuver! Huh?" Seal and Flipper's blades were bouncing up and down like two flopping seals.  
  
"Pretty clever eh?" Seal said.  
  
"Since we're trainers of the seals in our circus, we've designed our beyblades to act like seals too," Flipper explained.  
  
"That means our defensive shields won't work because they won't attack," Terri realized.  
  
"Then we'll just go attack them. Draciel, attack!"  
  
"Go Cougarah!" The two blades headed straight for Seal and Flipper's beyblades.  
  
"NOW!" Seal and Flipper yelled. Their two blades waited till Cougarah and Draciel had crashed into them, then flipped into the air and landed on top of them. Terri and Max gasped.  
  
"Not only that," Kenny said. "But their blades are most likely spring loaded too."  
  
"Like a seal," Solo finished.  
  
"Max and Terri better think of something quick!" Tyson replied.  
  
"I guess we have no choice now, do we?" Max asked Terri.  
  
"Guess not," Terri smiled. "Go Cougarah!" Cougarah rose out of it's blade.  
  
"Go Draciel!" Draciel rose out of it's blade and hovered over Seal's blade. "Attack now!"  
  
"Mountain cat attack!" Seal and Flipper's blade flew out of the dish.  
  
"And it looks like the winners are Max and Terri!" DJ shouted.  
  
"Sorry we had to call out our bit-beasts," Max told Tyson.  
  
"Hey, that's okay! I have to admit though that was an awesome match!" Tyson and Lexis ran to the middle of the stadium.  
  
"And this round features Tyson and Lexis against Bob and Charlie!" Two boys with white makeup, black eyes, white and black jail style shirts, and black hats/pants walked towards them. They were also wearing white mittens and black-soled shoes.  
  
"Hey! Look, I think these guys are mimes. Hey, do you guys do mime?" Tyson shouted. The two mimes nodded in unison, then grinned widely as they shook imaginary hands.  
  
"I think they're telling us good luck," Lexis smiled.  
  
"Why don't they talk?"  
  
"They do mime. As in actions of the silent type," Lexis explained.  
  
"Are you ready!?" DJ screamed into the mike. "3. . . 2. . . . 1. . . Let it rip!"  
  
"Battle blade!" Tyson shouted.  
  
"Go Jaguarah!" Lexis yelled. The two mimes simply ripped their black and white beyblades, cupping their hands around their mouths and acting as if they were shouting. Almost immediately, Bob and Charlie's beyblades vanished into thin air.  
  
"Where did they go?" Tyson asked Lexis. "Argh!" Bob's blade rammed into Dragoon, then disappeared again.  
  
"Where is it?" Lexis gasped as Charlie's blade attacked Jaguarah, then vanish just like Bob's.  
  
"There it is!" Tyson pointed. Dragoon headed towards Bob's blade, but it disappeared into thin air just as Dragoon hit the side of the dish instead. "Oh no!"  
  
"Come on!" Jaguarah too had rammed into the wall of the dish as it tried to crash Charlie.  
  
"There are so many illusions!" Tyson and Lexis were seeing multiple beyblades appearing and disappearing around in the bowl.  
  
"There's only one way out of this!" Tyson decided. "Dragoon, DJ Destruction!"  
  
"What?" asked DJ Jazzman.  
  
"This has nothing to do with you, DJ," Lexis told him. "GO Jaguarah!" Dragoon started up his hurricane, picking up all of the beyblades up in its wind. Even Bob's and Charlie's got sucked up. Finally, Jaguarah turned the hurricane orange, which visually showed where Bob and Charlie were. Then Jaguarah managed to slip out of the hurricane and land inside the dish. Dragoon stopped its attack, letting Bob and Charlie fall out of the dish and on to the floor.  
  
"Yes!!!!" Tyson hugged Lexis as they jumped up and down. The two mimes were on the floor, on their knees and hands on their faces. But they happily shook Tyson and Lexis' hands.  
  
"And the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats will advance to the final round!" DJ shouted.  
  
"That's right, AJ!"  
  
"See you kids later!"  
  
"Hmph!" the girl with the black hair and red highlights stood up. "So far, they've only won these matches by luck. Next time, they won't know what hit them." She glared at Solo from above the crowd. "Solo. . . . I'll get you. . . . ."  
~ @ # !* # ~  
  
Sorry! I wrote that in a hurry! I thought that it was a pretty crappy chapter! Hoped you understood it! Will do better next time! Review!  
  
~Zero2-the-scyther 


	14. One more threat

One True Team  
* Sorry about last chapter! I was finishing it in a hurry cause of homework and exams coming up! EEK! Oh well! Enjoy! May update later because of exams next week! Sorry!  
  
* * * * * * * *  
& & % % @ @! ! # #  
"Oh man, am I tired or what?"  
  
"Yes Tyson, we know."  
  
"But we've still got to practice for the finals! If we don't practice, then we'll lose!"  
  
"Right, Kenny." The Bladebreakers were in their bedroom. It was night, and they were settling in to sleep. Tyson yawned.  
  
"I'm glad we won today's match. If not, then we'll never make it to the finals."  
  
"I'm just glad that all those weird accidents stopped occurring," Ray said.  
  
"You don't suppose those accidents were done on purpose, do you?" Max asked.  
  
"From my point of view, I'll say they were," Ray answered seriously.  
  
"If you DO think about it, I'll say they were too. First there were those weird threat notes telling us to quit the championships," Kenny pointed.  
  
"Then there was that sneaky smoke bomb threat on MY girlfriend Lexis," Tyson told him.  
  
"There was that poisoned drink Terri drank," Max said.  
  
"And then somebody framed Saber for stealing and beat her up on the restaurant roof," Ray added. Kai remained silent as he listened to them. He soon realized that nothing was done to his girlfriend, Solo.  
  
"But why would they want to eliminate us from the finals? Couldn't they just eliminate some other team?" asked Max.  
  
"Maybe there's someone on our team that the other team wants to get rid of," Kai suggested. "Up until now, someone has always been hurt due to those, uh, accidents. And every time, it's been someone on the Wildcats team."  
  
"Maybe the other team is just doing that so we would be unprepared for the worst," Kenny gasped.  
  
"Chill out," Ray said. "We've got two days before the finals to practice. So let's sleep and worry about things tomorrow."  
  
"Okay," Kenny sighed.  
  
"Good night all," snored Tyson. Everyone started to sleep except for Kai. Instead he looked out the window to the dark sky.  
  
Something's not right, he thought. Something weird is going on around here . . .. He didn't give much thought to it and sleep overtook him.  
() () () () ^^^^^^^^^^^^ () () () ()  
"OWW!" The girl landed on the floor, groaning. Then she grunted again as she was kicked in the stomach again. The shadows of the leader shone on the floor. The girl with the red highlights raised a hand to stop the other two figures.  
  
"You were told to eliminate the Wildcats and the Bladebreakers out of the championships and out of our way!"  
  
"But I did. . . ow!"  
  
"They were battling this morning. And I thought you had everything under control."  
  
"But I did before. It's not my fault that Solo was too smart for a framing like that! If not, then they would have never entered the finals and we could have won it!" The brown-haired girl groaned again as she was stepped on. She had already been punched and kicked at for the last three minutes as a punishment and it could very well been an eternal three minutes of hell.  
  
"I'll let you go this time," the leader said. The other figures walked away. The punished girl weakly lifted herself up from the floor, bruises on her face, legs, and arms. "At least now I know that Solo has been much more clever than she has been before. But, this time, I'm going to be wiser when I win the championships for good!"  
  
**** ***** *******  
  
"Wake up, Saber!"  
  
"Okay already! Zzzz. . . . Ow! Don't poke me in the stomach! You know I'm ticklish!" Saber rolled off the bed. Her ankle had almost healed and she was feeling more awake than yesterday. Lexis, still in her pajamas, stood beside Terri, who was also in her pajamas.  
  
"We better start training for the finals, because from what I've heard," Lexis said. "The other team is brutal."  
  
"Yeah. And I'm the great saber-toothed panther," Saber joked.  
  
"Enough joking," Solo cut in. "We've got some serious practicing to do. So get dressed and hurry up!" A few minutes later, the Wildcats and the Bladebreakers met outside in the main room.  
  
"Morning," Tyson shouted to Lexis. Lexis blinked at him, then smiled in surprise.  
  
"You finally woke up early for once!"  
  
"Enough talking," Kenny cut in. "We've got a lot of work to do. Starting with you, Tyson." After a quick breakfast, the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats got to work. They starting training on their strategies, then worked on a few back up plans, and finally battled each other.  
  
"Go Draciel!"  
  
"Go Driger!" CRASH! Driger and Draciel rammed into each other in a dead headlock.  
  
"Aww that was sweet, Max," Ray grinned.  
  
"Thanks. I managed to update my Draciel so it will be superb when defending." Terri was sitting next to Saber and was both watching the boys battle each other in single combats.  
  
"Ray's actually pretty cute, you know," Terri commented.  
  
"Watch it," Saber joked. "He's taken."  
  
"Let it rip!" Lexis yelled as she ripped her beyblade.  
  
"Go Bengalion!" Solo shouted. Kai and Tyson watched as the two girls started to battle. Kai admired Solo's rough edge and quiet personality. If she were something like Tyson, then that's a different story.  
  
"So Kai," Tyson said loudly. "What do you think of Solo?" Kai shrugged.  
  
"She's very mature. Unlike you."  
  
"Hey, so I'm a bit immature and I think you're too mature for your age."  
  
"Don't tell me about my age, Tyson. We have the finals to win first and then you can tell me about my age."  
  
"Hmph! Mr. Sour-pants doesn't like getting personal, does he?" Kai ignored him and concentrated on Solo's match. Solo was doing pretty well, but for some reason, she seemed to be thinking about something else instead of the match with Lexis.  
  
"Jaguarah, Jaguar Paw Scratch!" Jaguarah attacked Bengalion. But Solo didn't seem to notice it. That was until her beyblade flew out of the ring and onto the floor. She blinked, then looked up.  
  
"Sorry, Lexis. I guess I wasn't paying attention." Solo shook her head as if she just woke up. "Let's go again. I'll pay attention this time." Kenny went over to Tyson and Kai.  
  
"Okay Tyson, here's where you need to work on," Kenny explained. "You need a bit more power in your attack skills, so when you attack, make sure Dragoon is fresh and strong. Kai, you're doing pretty well overall, but you and Solo need to concentrate a bit more on a defend strategy in case the other opponents' attack is more powerful than your own. I highly doubt that, but still, you never know when that can happen. Now, about that- AHH!" Kenny shrieked as a flying beyblade flew across him, and hammered into the wall between Kai and Tyson's heads. They both ducked down. Smoke drifted from the beyblade as Kai looked at it. It was an orange beyblade.  
  
"Wow!" Lexis stuttered. "Sorry about that guys. Solo here just showed me how she amped up her attack power."  
  
Walking to the hole in the wall, Lexis picked off her beyblade and smiled when she discovered it wasn't broken. Solo smiled innocently as Kai looked at her.  
  
"Sorry," she said as she sat next to him.  
  
"Now, how about you and I have a battle, Kai?" Tyson asked, showing his Dragoon to him. Kai sighed, then got up from the bench and walked to the ring. As the two battled, Lexis asked, "What do we need to work on?" Kenny uploaded a file on the laptop.  
  
"Well, you and Tyson should work on another attack strategy in case you DJ Destruction plan doesn't work. You could try a more contacting battle strategy too. But so far, your DJ Destruction strategy has been successful. Solo, it would be better if you and Kai worked on a defensive strategy to back up your other attack strategy."  
  
"Thanks a lot chief," Lexis smiled.  
  
"Can we get some lunch?" Tyson asked.  
  
"Didn't we just have breakfast?" Max asked as he, Ray, Saber, and Terri walked towards them.  
  
"I DO recall that we ate breakfast an hour ago," Ray grinned.  
  
"Let's go to our hotel room first," Terri suggested.  
  
"Okay." With that, the two teams walked back to the elevator and up to their room floor. Kenny abruptly took his key and unlocked the door. But the moment light shone into the room, Terri gasped. The room was a mess. Chairs were overturned, lamps were knocked down, a few clothing items were scattered about, and scattered paper bits laid all about. Lexis stared at the messed up room.  
  
"Um, guys, is this suppose to be some kind of joke?" asked Max.  
  
"I didn't even know that Solo could make a joke at all- OW!" Saber crash landed on the floor as Solo socked her back with a satisfying punch.  
  
"It's not me, so don't even start!" Saber muttered something under her breath but stopped when Solo cracked her knuckles. Kai had to hide his smirk.  
  
"What exactly happened here?" asked Ray as he helped Saber up and peeked inside. Cautiously, Tyson took a small step inside. Then jumped when he heard a thud.  
  
"Sorry!" Lexis had accidentally dropped her beyblade onto the wooden floor. Quietly, the two teams stepped inside the room.  
  
"Who did this?"  
  
"Well it wasn't me," Solo said, annoyed at Saber's comment. Saber stuck her tongue out in a play like matter.  
  
"Let's see if anything was taken," Terri suggested.  
  
"Well, they didn't take anything out of the fridge," Tyson told them as he opened their small fridge. Lexis sighed.  
  
"The rooms are just messed up but I don't think they took anything either," Saber said as she poked her head into their bedroom. Solo looked about in the hallway, then closed the door.  
  
"Maybe it was a break-in," she started to say as she turned around to lock the door. Then she froze. Her hand started to shake as she stared at the back of the door. Kai, noticing that she hadn't moved, walked next to her.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked. Solo didn't answer him. Instead, she pointed to the door. On the door was a photograph. The photograph showed a picture of the Wildcats and the Bladebreakers. Kai didn't see anything really weird until he saw what Solo was staring at. A knife was pinned to the part of the picture where Solo was. The knife ran right through her face and was nailed deep in the wood. The black handle of the knife was dripping with blood like substance. Scribbled on the photograph in the same blood red substance were the words: Next time, this is what will happen to you if you don't quit the championships! The blood was still dripping down from the knife handle and the photograph. Solo frowned and took a step back shakily. She accidentally backed into Kai.  
  
"Sorry." She clenched her fists to stop shaking. She felt Kai put his arms around her waist, then he leaned close to her shoulder.  
  
"It's okay," he murmured. Solo clenched her teeth, embarrassed of being comforted, but at the same time glad that Kai was there. Her face glowed a slight blush of pink.  
  
"Thanks," she whispered to him. Then she calmed down and Kai released her from his arms.  
  
"This has got to be another so-called-accident," Terri said, her hands on her hips. Solo and Kai turned around from the door, revealing the photo- stabbed-knife scenery. Terri started to say something else, but stopped when she saw the knife jabbed into the picture and into the door.  
  
"Oh no," she gasped. Max, by now has also seen the door and was equally shocked as Terri was.  
  
"Someone must really want us out of the game, huh?" he asked. "First they sent us threats, then they hurt you, and now they sabotage our room and send a knife dazzling photo."  
  
"I think we better tell Mr. Dickenson about this," Kenny suggested. Solo's eyes grew wide the moment Kenny said this. Facing him, she said, "No."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said No."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"This is probably some practical joke," Solo muttered. "Besides," she added quickly. "Don't you think Mr. Dickenson already has enough to worry about? He freaked out the last time we told him that Saber got beaten up. I don't want to worry him anymore, so we shouldn't tell him. Instead, why don't we just tell him that we want to switch rooms because somebody broke in and messed it up?"  
  
"Um . . .. Okay," Kenny answered.  
  
"Just don't tell him about the knife, k?" Solo hissed.  
  
"Sure. Besides, Solo's right. Mr. Dickenson might try to take us out of the championships because of these accidents," Lexis said.  
  
"We'll just tell him that our room got messed up and we didn't really like the room cause people were too noisy outside," Ray suggested.  
  
"Well, that IS true in a way," Saber thought out loud.  
  
"Alright. Let's pack our stuff then and Kenny can call Mr. Dickenson," Max said. Soon, everyone was packing or cleaning up. Solo, noticing that no one was looking, turned around and pulled the knife out of the door. She noticed that the blood like substance was actually stage blood (cornstarch, food coloring and water mixed together). But the knife was real. The picture collapsed to the floor but something was taped to the door behind it. A crushed black paper origami flower was plastered against the wooden door. Solo could see a couple of scars in the wood left by the knife. A deep gash pointed out that that was the place where the knife was pushed in. The other scars were rapid clean strokes. Solo touched the origami flower, then touched the scars. Her mind was racing. Could it possibly be . . .? . . . . no, it couldn't be . . . . . She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Lexis.  
  
"Do you remember where the schedule of the beyblade finals is?"  
  
"I gave it to Kenny because he asked for it."  
  
"Thanks." As Lexis went into the boys' room, Solo quickly snatched the flower off the door, shoved it into her pocket, then marched into her room and started packing.  
  
* * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Mmm, this sure is good!" Tyson sighed.  
  
"I'm just glad that the manager decided to give us a free room and a free dinner," Kenny said.  
  
"We're going to have to start training afterwards," Ray replied. "Oh Chief, do you have any data on our opposing team?"  
  
"No. The only things I DO know about this team is that they have never lost a single match in this championship, and from people's comments, they play pretty brutal, which means that WE have to train harder."  
  
"Oh right! I forgot to tell you," Saber said, slapping her head. "We managed to increase our attack power and we DO have a few backup plans in case our X-Claw Collision doesn't work."  
  
"We came up with a new name for our defense strategy," Max said. "We're going to call it the DC Barrier. We're still working on our endurance, but we have our attacking position in the bag." Terri gave him a peck on the cheek, which made Max turn bright pink.  
  
"We've increased our speed and attack power," Solo replied. "That way, we can finish off our opponents two times faster."  
  
"And we've created a back up version of DJ Destruction," Tyson cheered, flashing a peace sign.  
  
"Alright!" Lexis laughed. With that, Tyson stood up, holding his cup of Coke.  
  
"Here's a toast: To US, the best two teams out there!" Everyone else, even Kai, stood up with their cups of Coke.  
  
"To Us!"  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"Bengalion, Tiger Pounce Tackle!" Bengalion slammed into Cougarah. Terri smiled.  
  
"Cougarah, begin Defense Shield now!" Bengalion was locked head to head.  
  
"Go Draciel!"  
  
"Go Dranzer!" Both Draciel and Dranzer crashed into each other, Dranzer slightly pushing Draciel back. All of a sudden, Dranzer moved back and rose up in the air. It hovered a few feet from Draciel.  
  
"Now Dranzer, Spin Fire Attack!" Dranzer dive-bombed right on top of Draciel and knocked him out of the dish. Max grinned.  
  
"You still do that move on me, don't you?" he laughed. Kai smiled slightly in amusement. He had used that move on Max in the regional qualifying match in Japan before the Bladebreakers became a team. Solo and Terri however, were still in a tug-of-war-position in the bowl. Solo frowned.  
  
"Keep her there, Cougarah," Terri replied. "Come on. It should be about time. . . now." Pretty soon, Bengalion started to wobble. "Now Cougarah, Mountain Cat Attack!"  
  
"Bengalion, attack now!" Both beyblades bounced backwards away from the attack, landing on the rims of the dish. Cougarah bounced into the dish, but Bengalion spun on the rim. Suddenly, it shook, then fell into the dish and crash-landed in the middle. Solo raised an eyebrow at that. Terri had to grin.  
  
"Don't tell me you let me win that?" she asked. Solo shook her head.  
  
"I didn't. You won." Terri smiled, then held out her hand in friendly sympathy. Solo, looking reluctant at that, cautiously shook her friend's hand.  
  
"That was a great match you guys," Ray smiled as he and Saber ran over.  
  
"Yeah." Saber grinned cheerfully.  
  
"Let's call it a night and watch something on TV," suggested Lexis. "We could choose some movies."  
  
"I saw a couple in the TV guide," Saber recalled. "But I'm warning you! We are not seeing anything that's suitable for children!"  
  
"And don't forget ROOM SERVICE!!!!!!" Tyson shouted. Everyone laughed, then headed for the elevator down the hallway. Solo walked a bit slower with Kai. That origami flower was still on her mind. Where had she seen that before. . . . ? Her thoughts broke as she saw Kai glancing at her puzzled.  
  
"What's on your mind?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing. Really."  
  
"It's not another guy, is it?" Solo playfully slapped him on the arm.  
  
"Of course not! I've got you! What more do I need?"  
  
"Can you prove it?" Kai smirked as Solo raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I've got so much evidence that it'll knock you off your feet." With that, she lowered his head to hers and they melted into a long kiss. Kai put his arms around her waist as Solo put her arms around his neck. After a moment, they broke away from each other, slightly panting. Solo recovered quicker and smiled slyly.  
  
"Was that good enough evidence for you?" Kai, still dazed, shook his head and smiled a small smile.  
  
"Oh yeah." Putting an arm around her shoulder, Kai and Solo walked towards the elevator, with Solo's thoughts of the black origami flower forgotten.  
*Watcha think of that? I may update later due to exams! Review and I hope u enjoyed it!  
  
~ Zero2-the-scyther 


	15. Memories of the past

One True Team  
  
Sorry I update sooo late!!! Finally finished my theory exam!! Enjoy!  
  
* * * * **  
******* ******  
  
It was dark. The wind blew eerily as Solo looked about. The wind blew back her black and red highlighted ponytail. Her eyes wandered about. She was sitting in the front of the car, driver's seat. She had been waiting for them to hurry out and bring the money with them. After they have the money, she would drive them to their hideout, where they would split the money. But the only backfire in this plan was that she didn't want to help them escape. They had told her to drive them though.  
  
An alarm's shriek broke her thoughts. She had made her decision. Without waiting for the others, she drove away guiltily. All of a sudden, everything went dark. Solo found herself falling. She never landed. Mixed voices surrounded her.  
  
"Bank robbery on the night of-"  
  
"Young teens arrested for breaking into -"  
  
"Two girls and three guys arrested for bank robbery -"  
  
"Solo, how could you do this to me? -"  
  
"You traitor! You don't deserve to live-"  
  
"Don't you care about me? I did this for you -"  
  
"Mom and Dad are gone now! I'm the only one who's still here! -"  
  
Solo gasped as she continued falling. The voices continued getting louder. Then there was an evil cackling. Where was Kai? Where were her teammates? Where am I?  
  
"AHHHHHH!" Solo woke up, sitting up in her bed. She was covered in sweat and she was breathing heavily. Looking about, she saw that she was still in her room. Rubbing her eyes, Solo flipped away her blankets, too hot to sleep. She saw Saber sleeping in the bed next to hers and Terri and Lexis sleeping on the other side peacefully. No one had heard her. It was just a nightmare. Another one.  
  
Sighing, Solo got off her bed. She noticed the origami paper flower she found was on the dresser. Picking it up, Solo inspected it. The paper was crisp and partly crumbled. But it was folded professionally. Too professionally. Solo wiped the sweat off her face and looked out the window. The dark misty stars stared back at her.  
  
Come on, she told herself. You've been reading too much ghost stories. It's just a dream. A nightmare actually. A dream that has nothing to do with the present.  
  
Solo glanced at the small picture frame she had put on the dresser. It was a picture of her and Kai. They didn't want to take it at first, but because Mr. Dickinson had insisted, they had no choice. Still, it looked like an okay picture. Solo calmed down after a few minutes, then went back to her bed. But it took her a few hours before she could go back to sleep.  
* * * *  
"Come on Tyson, be serious!" Kenny scolded him. "We've only got one more day of training before we face off the other team tomorrow."  
  
"I know! Now Dragoon! Out of reach attack!"  
  
"Draciel, defense maneuver."  
  
"Jaguarah, Jaguar Paw scratch!"  
  
"Cougarah, Mountain cat attack!" All four beyblades slammed into high gear as they went at each other with all their strength.  
  
Sitting on the bench, Saber grinned. "Aw man. This is going to be sweet!"  
  
"Hey! That's my line!" Ray teased, then kissed Saber on the cheek. Saber grinned slyly.  
  
"Oh well!" On the other side of the bench, Kai and Solo sat quietly. Solo had grabbed hold of the end of Kai's scarf and was stroking it quietly with her hand. Kai, not minding at all, crossed his arms as he watched the beybattle. Finally, the four players called it quits and walked to the other four sitting on the bench.  
  
"Well, did we try hard enough?" asked Terri.  
  
"I did!" Max laughed as Terri smacked him in the arm. Kenny smiled.  
  
"Well, according to Dizzy's stats, you've all improved pretty well."  
  
"Let's hit the arcades," Saber begged. Lexis and Terri sighed at their friend.  
  
"Yeah! Let's go to the arcades!" Tyson pleaded. Max and Ray sighed at their friend.  
  
"Okay fine. But this time, don't start breaking another machine like you two did last time, Saber and Solo." The last time the Wildcats had gone to the arcade, they ended up getting kicked out by the manager because Saber had kicked one of the machines a wee bit too hard for not returning her change, and Solo, not knowing how weak joy sticks were, had broken one off when Saber had challenged her to a game of King of Fighters. She'd also cracked the machine by pounding on it. Of course afterwards, they had to be banned from arcades for two months. Saber and Solo both blushed in embarrassment as they anime sweat-dropped.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on Saber." Ray winked.  
  
"And Solo won't get kicked out of this arcade," Kai said, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend. Solo slapped her forehead in defeat.  
  
As the two teams arrived at the arcade room, Solo looked about. Tyson, of course was the first one to charge in, dragging Lexis behind. Saber, not too desperate, walked in quickly after Tyson, Ray at her side. Terri and Max, shrugging at their crazy friends, casually went in. And then came her and Kai.  
  
Solo sighed. She remembered the first time she went to the arcade. Her sister had brought her there for fun, along with her mom and dad. Dad had gave them both some change while Mom brought them cotton candy. Then her sister had taught her how to race cars on the arcade machine. She had grabbed the steering wheel and every so often, her sister would shift her wheel just a bit so she wouldn't crash into the sidelines. Then she was taught how to play Street fighters. She had used Ryu while her sister used Ken. Ken defeated her for the first few matches, but soon, Solo learned to use Ryu and laughed when her sister got beaten. Those WERE the good old times. But now her parents were dead, and her sister was no longer here. Nothing was worth living.  
  
"Huh?" Solo gasped when Kai tapped her on the shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.  
  
"Saber wants to challenge you in Street Fighters," he told her.  
  
"Again? Okay." Solo walked over to the machine, then glared at the joystick. Saber waved her hand in front of Solo's face after five seconds.  
  
"Come on Solo! It's just a joystick. You won't break it again." Solo shrugged, then inserted a quarter. Ray and Kai stood next to each other as they watched the two girls choose their characters. Solo, with no doubt, had chosen Ryu. Saber instantly chose Ken. The match soon began.  
  
Both girls made their fighters fire fire-balls (think Dragonball and Streetfighters) at each other over and over again.  
  
"Um. . . . can't you guys do anything different?" asked Ray and Kai.  
  
"No!" the two chorused back. Finally, Ken leaped up and did this spinning kick from one side to the other. Ryu, caught off guard, fell. Then high punched Ken in the face. Somehow, afterwards, the two were back at firing fire-balls at each other. Lexis and Terri sighed when they saw Solo and Saber fighting each other.  
  
"They're at it again?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Finally, the two teams emerged from the arcades and went to their hotel room. This time, it was not messed up.  
  
"Okay. We still need to work out a battle line up," Kenny told them as he typed on the laptop. "Who do you suggest go first, Dizzy?"  
  
"I am not a fortune teller chief!"  
  
"How about. . . . . Max and Terri? Do you guys want to go first?"  
  
"Sure. That is, if it's okay with Kai here." Kai looked up from the couch he was sitting on next to Solo. He shrugged.  
  
"Okay. I take that as a yes." Kenny typed into his laptop. "Who wants to go second?"  
  
"How about you, Ray?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Ray was watching TV with Saber and was currently watching Deep Blue Sea. "Oh, eh, I guess that's alright. Is it ok with you, Saber?"  
  
"No problemo! Aw man, kill the people already, sharky!"  
  
"Um. . . . . okay. Kai, do you want to go third?" Kai looked at Solo. She looked reluctant, but finally shook her head.  
  
"So Tyson will go third."  
  
"Alright!" Tyson pumped a fist into the air. "Thanks Solo!"  
  
"Now, we just need to rebuild your beyblade so it will be perfect for tomorrow's match." Kenny started to take out his screwdrivers and ratchets. Tyson and Lexis helped him fix their blades. Halfway through, Solo tapped Kenny on the shoulder.  
  
"Kenny, is it ok if I use your lap top for a few minutes?"  
  
"Uh . . .. Sure. Do you need it for something?"  
  
"Uh . . . yeah. I'll return it."  
  
"Okay." Plugging the line into the phone circuit, Solo waited till the laptop loaded the Internet page. Solo typed in Beyblade teams into the Search box. The Search box came up with 100,000 items. Solo sighed, then typed in teams in Team Pairs Championships in Russia. This time, it came up with 20 items. Solo clicked the second one and it loaded up in a window. Kai noticed she was doing something with Kenny's laptop, but didn't question. Some things shouldn't be questioned when it wasn't your business.  
  
Solo looked around to see if anyone was watching her. Max, Terri, Ray, and Saber were all glued to the TV. Kenny was helping Tyson and Lexis rebuild their blades. She had noticed Kai watching her once in a while, but she didn't really mind because she trusted him. Turning back to the screen, Solo saw some of the teams they had already faced in Column A. There were some teams in Column B she didn't know about, but she did notice that both winning teams were posted on the web page. She saw their team name on the left side, while on the other side, there was their opposing team.  
  
Solo squinted to make out the words. Hmm. . . . . the Howlers. . . . . that sounds familiar. Suddenly, a thought struck her. The Howlers. . . . that was the team she and her-  
  
"Solo!" Tyson's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Can we look at your blade to check to see if it's alright?" Solo shook her head, shaking her ponytail.  
  
"Uh yeah." Solo numbly handed over her blade. Kai stared at her puzzled.  
  
"Are you ok?" he asked her when she sat next to him sighing.  
  
"Yeah. I'm okay." She placed one of her hands into his. Kai gripped hers warmly.  
  
"Your hand is cold," he murmured. Solo nodded quietly before placing her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. Kai looked down at her. Solo looked worn out and tired. He decided to let her doze on his shoulder instead of waking her up.  
  
"So, is there any information on the team we're facing tomorrow?" asked Terri.  
  
"Not really. I tried checking their profile in the BBA teams' profile, but there isn't much information written there. All it says is that they have never lost and they play brutal. They don't even record any names."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So we need to be more alert than ever. We have absolutely no data on this team and we better be prepared. It's the championships we're going to win."  
  
"But this time we're only going to be winning the championships for the Team Pairs cup. Last time we were battling for the World championships, we had to go up against the Demolition Boys and Boris," Ray said.  
  
"That's right! This time it will be more like a championship title rather than a life and death struggle!" Max sighed.  
  
"The Demolition Boys were the toughest team in Russia," Kenny explained to the Wildcats. "They were battling for the Biovolt Corporation and we had to beat them and their leader, Voltaire."  
  
"Voltaire?" asked Lexis.  
  
"Say, he got pulled in by the police along with his side kick Boris. I saw that a few months ago on the newspaper," Terri recalled.  
  
"I'll say. He sure was clever though to think of capturing bit-beasts as a plan of taking over the world," Saber pointed out.  
  
"Voltaire is also Kai's grandfather," Tyson said before he could stop himself. " . . . . .Oops!" Kai turned to glare at him coldly as Solo sat up. "Voltaire was your grandfather?" she questioned in surprise. Kai looked down at his feet.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ouch!" Saber commented. "I feel sorry for you."  
  
"At least you're not evil," Solo said, smiling one of her rare smiles. "We can trust you on that one." Kai looked up before closing his eyes and smirking.  
  
"Alright. What say we stop watching this scary movie, stop talking and start practicing?" asked Kenny.  
  
"Aw! Come on Kenny! This movie isn't even scary! It's about intelligent sharks! What's so scary about that? They're computer graphic and there's hardly any chance of sharks in this generation becoming this intelligent!" Tyson groaned.  
  
"I agree that the movie isn't scary but kind of cool with Tyson," Lexis smiled. Tyson gave a peace sign. "But I also agree with Kenny that we should practice for the tournament tomorrow." Tyson groaned at that.  
  
"Okay fine! Then let's go! I get dibs on battling first though!" With that, he and Lexis opened the door and ran towards the elevator (actually, he kind of dragged Lexis with him). Max and Terri were talking quietly about how they could attack their opponents without wasting time while they walked out the door. Ray and Saber were telling each other scary/ghost stories. And Kai and Solo were walking quietly out the door. Solo made sure all the windows were locked before Kenny closed the door.  
  
* * * ** * * * * * * * *  
  
"Alright, listen, this is how we're going to battle them tomorrow. You're going to show them no mercy and strike them down!" The other girls nodded as the black-highlighted red-haired girl spoke. "You may continue training." The other girls broke off into separate groups as they practice their strategies.  
  
"Do you think you can defeat Solo?" asked the brownish-red haired girl. Next to her stood the brown haired girl with the emerald green eyes.  
  
"Sure she can," said the brown-haired girl with the green eyes. " She's never been defeated and I don't think Solo will even have the power to go up to her."  
  
"I don't know about that," said the leader. "But I DO know that Solo is going down. She has improved her skills and has gained good control in her bit-beast, but she doesn't have confidence in herself. That's why she's going to lose! Speaking of confidence, did you take care of that . . . . . task I sent out for you?"  
  
"Oh yeah. We had to get some of our secret sources to help us out but we've managed to abduct them before anyone noticed. They're kept in another hotel room. It's a good thing they dropped by Russia for a few more days."  
  
"Perfect. Get someone to take a picture of them and develop before tomorrow. This time, Solo will make the decision that will decide her future!"  
  
* * * ! * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ (If you're scared of scary stories, then you don't have to read this part! But it's not that scary! Try it on your friends!! ()  
  
"NO! Please no!!! I don't want to hear it!"  
  
"Come on Chief, it's just a scary story! Besides, it isn't at all THAT scary!"  
  
"Yeah! Scary story please!"  
  
"Ok, fine!" Saber made them all sit in a circle and turn off some of the lights. It was night now and the two teams had spent two good hours of training.  
  
"Ok. Let's see. . . . which one should I tell? I know! There was a girl and a boy who went out together. They soon became a couple." Ray, Tyson, Max and Kai turned partly pink at this. Kenny turned milk white.  
  
"One day, the girlfriend found out that the boy cheated on her and jumped off the balcony, swearing she would get revenge on him -"  
  
"Please stop!" Kenny cried out in horrors. He was so scared that he had to clutch a pillow to stop him from shaking so hard.  
  
"This is completely freaking him out," Tyson pointed out.  
  
"How bout you tell another story?" Ray suggested, giving a warm look to Saber. Saber got the idea and nodded.  
  
"Okay fine. I'll tell you this one. The other one might stay in your head for a while. Okay, there were two best friends. One was named Lily while the other was named Leona. One day, they both saw the same love of their dreams. But they argued over him. Finally, Lily killed Leona so she could have the boy all to herself. She cut Leona's body into separate parts: the head, the arms, and the legs."  
  
"HELP!" Kenny grabbed Tyson's arm, since it was the only thing he could see in the dark.  
  
"Kenny! I thought that you were a ghost!"  
  
"Guys, you're wreaking the scary story," Solo grumbled. She had heard this story before and would like to see who would scream out loud.  
  
"Let's turn on the lights so at least Kenny won't get freak out here," Terri suggested. After turning on the lights, Saber continued her story in a quiet voice.  
  
"Lily then put these parts into separate bags and threw them into the ocean. Ten years later, she married the guy she liked. One day, while listening to the news, Lily learns that they found Leona's head. The head only said one word over and over again: Lily . . . Lily . . . Lily . . ." Kenny gasped at this. Tyson begged him to release his arm before his blood would stop flowing.  
  
"Scared that Leona might tell the police who murdered her, Lily went to the beach, picked up the head, and started asking it questions: Who was your best friend? Lily . . .. Lily . . . . . Lily . . .. What school do you go to? Lily . . .. Lily . . .. Lily . . . . . What's your boyfriend's name? Lily . . .. Lily . . . . . Lily . . . . . (Note: this is all said in a quiet voice. The point is to keep asking questions) who killed you- (* this part is said a bit quieter) LILY! (This part is loud, as if you're screaming)" Her face expression had gone from calm and solemn to sharp and . . . well, evil looking.  
  
"AHHHHHH!!!!!" Tyson and Kenny both screamed out loud. Lexis, Terri and Max kind of yelped. Ray jumped, then started laughing at the lame story. Kai and Solo remained the same: emotionless. Ray finally stopped laughing and clapped absent-mindedly.  
  
"That was good!"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"I like the part when you go, "Who killed you-LILY!" Ray started laughing again. Meanwhile, Tyson and Kenny were still breathing hard and slightly trembling from the sudden loudness in the story. Terri, Lexis, and Max had recovered quicker and were nervously trying to calm Kenny down. Solo and Kai simply looked at each other.  
  
"You heard that story, didn't you?" Solo questioned.  
  
". . . . Yeah. . . . I heard the other one with the girl who jumped off the balcony too."  
  
"Same here." Both exchanged a sly smile before their lips closed together for a kiss.  
  
"What can I say?" Lexis sighed, looking at the now laughing Saber and Ray. "Saber never stops to tell another scary story."  
  
"That WAS pretty good though," Max smiled, his arm around Terri's waist.  
  
"Enough stories for today," Kenny stuttered. "We've got a match tomorrow and I don't want anyone falling asleep. I say we hit the beds and go to sleep."  
  
"Okay. Goodnight then." Tyson gave Lexis a good night kiss on the cheek as Max did the same. Ray and Saber were still trying to stop laughing and lamely gave each other a hug. Kai and Solo melted into a long kiss as the others went inside. As they broke away from each other, Kai looked down into Solo's eyes.  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight." The moon glowed brighter than ever, but was covered by the thick dark clouds as the two separated.  
  
* * * * *  
  
~ Well, watcha ya think? Bad? Sorry if it's kind of lame! Enjoy the scary story and review please!!!* * *  
  
~ Zero2-the-scyther 


	16. Fever in the mirror

One True Team  
  
Hey people! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Many people are telling me to write more of Kai/Solo, so I'll try my best! Enjoy! Send ideas if you want to! Sorry if I update a bit later than usual! I have a piano exam coming up and must practice! Not to mention finish up on homework cause school's almost ending and I have to pass!  
  
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Solo moaned. Her head was spinning, her eyesight was foggy, and she felt really hot. She'd already kicked off all her blankets and even threw away all her pillows, but it was still way too hot in here. She'd even changed into shorts and a T-shirt, but then it got too cold and she ended up wearing her regular PJ's and slept under all her blankets and pillows. Now it was too hot again and for the second time, she had to get rid of the blankets and pillows.  
  
She kept getting dreams and visions of that fateful incident of her driving away from everyone else in a car, leaving the others in the bank. She dreamed of Kai and everyone else on the team telling her to go back to where she'd came from, and then the worst part was that 'she' appeared and started laughing maniacally. Now she was freaked out about going to the championships tomorrow.  
  
Solo wiped the sweat off her brow. She thought of the scary story Saber had told that night. Instead of Lily and Leona, she pictured herself holding 'her' head.  
  
"Who betrayed you?" she asked.  
  
"YOU!" the head screamed. Now my imagination's getting all worked up, Solo thought to herself. She couldn't sleep. It was 1:00 in the morning. She wished Kai would be here to comfort her. Shivering again, Solo closed her eyes and slept uneasily.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
R-r-riiiing! R-riiiiiing! R-riiiiing! "Oh god, is it time to get up already?" There was a loud thud and the ringing of the alarm clock stopped. A light was turned on. Lexis opened her eyes and forced herself to get out of bed. Beside her bed, Terri groaned softly, tired. Saber was still asleep and Solo's eyes were closed, though she kept moving every three minutes. Getting up, Lexis walked from her bed to the bathroom. Feeling against the wall in the dark, Lexis finally found the light switch. She turned it on and screamed out loud.  
  
"What's wrong?" Terri asked her as she rubbed her eyes and attempted to walk into the bathroom. She backed away when she saw what had made Lexis shriek. On the mirror, written in blood like substance, was a message.  
  
"Your doom is near because I will haunt you from your past!" Lexis read.  
  
"How did they get into our room?" asked Terri.  
  
"I'm almost afraid to know why," Lexis answered. The blood on the message was dripping down the mirror on the medicine cabinet. Terri shivered.  
  
"What I still don't get is why they still do these weird threats to us. I mean, we didn't do anything against anyone, did we?" asked Lexis.  
  
"I don't think WE did, but it might be someone else." There were the sounds of footsteps as Solo tiredly walked towards them from her bed. She wasn't feeling that great and would much rather stay in bed.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked Terri and Lexis. They both pointed to the eerie message on the mirror. Solo glared at the message, then breathed out uneasily. Stumbling dizzily, Solo walked out of their room and into the main room. She focused her eyes around their dark room for a second, then slowly turned on the light. Terri and Lexis followed behind her. The room seemed ok. A bit too okay, though. It was really freaky because even though the mirror in the bathroom was covered in blood, the rest of the room was perfectly normal. Terri jumped when she felt something tapped her on the shoulder. It was just Saber.  
  
"What's going on? Did somebody throw up on the mirror or something?" she asked as she yawned.  
  
"In your dreams pal. People only puke blood when they're dying. And you can see that there isn't a corpse anywhere in sight, though you ARE scaring me with the thought of it."  
  
Solo growled, then stormed into the direction of the boys' room.  
  
"Hey wait a minute, Solo!" Terri called out. Lexis ran behind her. But they were too late. Solo had already opened the door and walked in.  
  
"What's up with Solo? She knows better than to barge into the boys' room," Saber murmured.  
  
"I think she's looking for something," Lexis suggested. The rest of the girls followed Solo into the boys' room. Far off in a corner, were Kai and Ray's beds near the window. Both boys had woken up and were sitting up in their PJ's. Kai had the usual why-are-you-bothering-me-again kind of look on his face, but was then replaced by a softer look when he saw Solo looking at him. On the other side of the room, were Tyson and Max's beds. Max had just waked up when Solo had stormed in while Tyson was snoring his head off. The bed closest to the door was Kenny's bed, which was parked next to a closet. (Note: this is a rather big hotel room. So expect more space than your usual hotel rooms). Solo glanced at Kai, then looked at Ray before glaring at the rest of the boys. She walked past Tyson's bed and opened the boys' closet. She looked up and down the closet, then closed the door again empty handed. Turning on the light to the boys' bathroom, Solo peeked her head in. Nothing. There wasn't even blood on the mirror. How strange.  
  
"What's going on?" Ray asked Saber as he leaned forward to give her a kiss.  
  
"There's been a message written in blood on our mirror," Saber told him. "But we don't know what's up with Solo."  
  
"Do you think she could be trying to find if there are anymore threats written in our hotel room?" asked Max. Terri shrugged on that one. No one, except Lexis, had bothered to wake Tyson during all this time. Solo growled, then sighed again as she felt her head.  
  
"Why would they only do it to our mirror and not to theirs?" Solo wondered out loud.  
  
"Maybe we did something against them that caused them to do these threats," Kenny suggested. Then he looked at his watch. "It's 7:00 in the morning. Why don't we get changed? We can have an early breakfast before we start practicing for the finals."  
  
"Aw man! I forgot about that!" Tyson shouted. He had finally woken up.  
  
"Would it hurt if we take a look in your room?" Ray asked. Saber shook her head.  
  
"Go ahead, but it's kind of freaky to brush your teeth in front of blood stained mirrors."  
  
"Why don't you move all your stuff to our room for now and get changed here?" Max suggested.  
  
"Sure, as long as YOU BOYS get out of the room!" Lexis gave them one of her quit-joking-around kind of looks. The boys laughed sheepishly before walking out the door.  
  
"What can I say? Boys think dirty," Saber sighed.  
  
"That's why we should just change in our own rooms instead," Solo muttered.  
  
"But its so freaky there," Terri shivered. "What if the guy who did it is still here?"  
  
"Please!" Saber yawned. "Easy. Just get Max to go with you into the room to pick up your stuff, then come back here and change! Mind you, the guys ain't gonna poke their heads around here cause Solo's going to be guarding the door!"  
  
"I am?"  
  
The biggest mess of all was when they all had to share one sink just to brush their teeth. Terri had accidentally splashed some water on Saber's hand. Saber, who wouldn't miss one opportunity for revenge, whipped the running water from the tap towards Terri. Terri ducked, and the water landed on Solo. Solo got pissed off at getting wet in the morning already and poured her entire cup of water on Saber's head. Needless to say, Saber got a free shower on the head. Soon Lexis joined in the waters' wars in the bathroom. The whole floor got wet. Max had called from outside what was going on, since the girls had locked the doors. And he soon learned a very important lesson: never EVER send 4 girls into the same bathroom. The girls finally got changed, then let the guys change while they waited outside.  
  
Something's not right, Solo thought. She looked around in the main room. Saber and Terri were watching TV. Lexis was looking out the window, and the guys were still in their room. Why would the enemy just mess up their mirror and then not do anymore damage to our room? Solo groaned in pain again as her headache grew worst. Her forehead was feeling warm and she kept getting dizzy.  
  
Kenny was the first guy to walk out of the boys' room. He quickly sat next to Lexis and explained how the tournament would work. Max soon came out with Ray, who both automatically sat next to Saber and Terri. They all got into a discussion about the beyblade battles they would soon encounter with the Howlers. Kai soon came out with an annoyed expression on his face. He probably got at Tyson for waking so late again. He sat next to Solo, who sighed. Tyson finally came out.  
  
"Are we going to eat breakfast yet?" he complained.  
  
"Ok, then let's get going before Tyson starts complaining again." Kenny walked towards the door, then paused as he picked something up from the bottom of the floor where the door was. "What's this?" He picked up an envelope from the floor. It was white and had no name on it. Opening it, Kenny found origami paper flowers inside it. They were dripped with blood. Kenny gasped.  
  
"What's up?" Saber asked when all of them had gathered to see what was going on.  
  
"This." Kenny passed the envelope to Ray, who winced at them as he then passed it to Max to take a look.  
  
"Why would anyone send us such a gross envelope again?" Tyson asked when he took a look.  
  
"I don't know," Lexis said. She passed the envelope to Solo, whose face was pale. She shakily took the envelope, and unlike everyone else, took out the flowers. Each one represented the seven (or six, depending if you count it the Chinese way or the American way) colours of the rainbow. The only flower that did not represent the colors was a black origami flower. It was dripping with blood as Solo took it out. Kai watched in surprise as Solo dizzily unfolded the black origami flower. Inside were the words: "You ditched me in the bank robbery and wouldn't even bail me out from jail! Don't think that you can hide cause I'm going to get you for this!" Solo breathed uneasily. Her hand trembled as she tried to focus her eyes. The room for some reason was spinning in circles.  
  
Solo groaned, then her eyes closed as she felt her head and she collapsed, unconscious. Everyone gasped as she fell sideways. Kai reached out and caught her just before she hit the ground. The note fluttered to the floor.  
  
"Oh my gosh," Terri gasped. Kai looked just as worried as he knelt down on the floor, holding Solo.  
  
"Solo?" Solo didn't respond. Ray stepped forward and knelt down beside the couple. He calmly reached out and placed a hand across Solo's forehead. Kai kind of glared at him, giving him a what-the-heck-do-you-think-you're-doing look. Ray responded with an expression that read relax-dude-I'm-only- checking-to-see-what's-wrong.  
  
"She's got a fever," he told Kai. Kai looked down at Solo. Her face was red, and her breathing was hard and uneasy. Gently lifting her up, Kai carried Solo and placed her on his bed. Max and Terri followed them into the room. Lexis and Tyson meanwhile cleaned up the mess of origami flowers that Solo had dropped before she had fainted. Ray and Saber were getting water, towel, and medicine from the fridge, bathroom, and first aid kit.  
  
"Oh man! Not good!" Tyson replied. "Not only is there another threat, but we have a match to win today and Solo's sick!"  
  
"Well let's hope she recovers quick," Lexis sighed. Saber and Ray entered the room, carrying a wet towel, a glass of water, and a bottle of pills. They handed the wet towel to Kai, who folded it into a small rectangle and laid it on Solo's forehead. He sighed worriedly as he watched Solo. Ray and Saber, who were standing a little farther away from Solo and Kai were looking at the number of pills that were inside the bottle and deciding how many Solo should take when she woke up. Tyson, Lexis, and Kenny stood near the door with Max and Terri. They were all watching the unconscious Solo and Kai. Kai for once finally looked up at his other teammates.  
  
"Listen," he said. "I'm going to look after Solo for now. Go down to the training room and start practicing. I'll meet you guys later."  
  
"But what about breakfast-" Tyson started to say.  
  
"What would you say if more important right now?" Kai cut in. "Winning this tournament for good or eating so you wouldn't cry when you DO lose?" Tyson hesitated, then changed his mind.  
  
"Ok. We'll start training right now," he said.  
  
"We'll leave you two alone," Max smiled. Kai glared at him. Then turned back to Solo. Everyone else left the room and went on the elevator.  
  
"Gee, I hope Solo's ok," Terri said sadly.  
  
"It's ok. She's probably sick from the flu or something," Max suggested as he put an arm around Terri's shoulder.  
  
"But something's not really quite right," Lexis murmured. "As far as we know, Solo has hardly been sick. She also never fainted before, so this is a first. It could have just been a flu or something, but do you think it could have been something else?"  
  
"Maybe she was worried about the team we would be facing today in the finals round," Saber muttered.  
  
"Or maybe it's something else," Ray murmured.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Haven't you noticed that Solo has been acting strangely lately?"  
  
"What do you mean by that, Ray?" asked Tyson.  
  
"She kind of freaked out when she found the knife that was stuck to the door. The knife ran right through the picture of where Solo was standing. She even had the Chief not tell Mr. Dickinson about it. I mean it's one thing about him worrying we might get hurt, but don't you think it could have been another reason that she didn't want Mr. Dickinson to know?"  
  
"Now that you mentioned it, Solo HAS been acting strangely ever since that incident," Saber pointed out. "When she told Kenny not to tell Mr. Dickinson about it, she practically had white knuckles. It was as if she thinks something is going to get her."  
  
"That's it! The message written on the mirror says that your doom is near because I will haunt you from the past," Terri exclaimed. "Maybe that threat was meant for Solo, not us!"  
  
"But why would anyone haunt her from the past?" Kenny asked. "Do you think it could be a ghost?"  
  
"I highly doubt that," Saber replied. "Though I DO think I should have told you a scarier story last night-"  
  
"PLEASE DON'T MENTION THAT STORY AGAIN!"  
  
"Ok." Ray had to try hard not to laugh out loud.  
  
"Now, getting back to today's battle," Lexis reminded them. "We have to do our best. Which means we can't have distractions in our minds, including our own teammates." Max nodded guiltily. He remembered when he was distracted by Terri, who had gotten food poisoned at the time of their beyblade battle. He ended up losing the match because he was too concerned of her safety instead of his battle.  
  
"Unless it's a life or death situation, right?" asked Saber.  
  
"Uh . . . . I don't know about that but, I guess." The rest of the team members stayed silent, each one lost in their own thoughts.  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Kai sat silently beside the sleeping Solo. He had covered her with a blanket, a wet towel on her forehead. Her face wasn't as red as before, but it was still red. She looked exhausted and sick. Kai brushed a strand of hair away from her face, then leaned close and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
Taking out his beyblade, Kai watched it gleamed in the sun. 20 minutes had already passed. He was getting all stressed out and worried because of Solo. She hardly seems tired or even sick for that matter.  
  
There was a slight rustling and Kai turned his head. Solo had woken up, and was trying to sit up in bed. He helped her sit up.  
  
"What happened? Where am I? Where is everyone?" she asked frantically.  
  
"You shouldn't move too much," he told her. "You fainted. And you're sick. You've a got a fever and collapsed while looking at those origami flowers. The others went down to train." Solo looked down.  
  
"Thanks Kai. I appreciate you looking after me." She gave him an affectionate hug. "But you didn't have to look after me. I can take care of myself and the others might want you to help them train." Kai shrugged. He turned his back towards her and looked out the window.  
  
"I couldn't leave you here. I had to look after you." Solo gazed at him. Then felt her head. The fever wasn't gone yet but it wasn't that effective anymore. Looking around, she grabbed the pills and water. She took the medicine and then, attempted to get out of the bed. Kai turned around.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"I have to go train with the others. . . ."  
  
"But -"  
  
"Please. I need to do this. . . . . ."  
  
"Ok." Kai reached out and helped Solo off the bed. "Just promise me you won't do anything crazy, ok?"  
  
"Ok." Without thinking, Kai took hold of Solo and piggybacked her. Solo wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. She must be still tired, Kai thought as he carried her down the hallway.  
  
"Thanks Kai . . . . .." Solo murmured. She felt safe around him. He kept her feeling warm and secure instead of scared and lonely.  
  
As they approached the training room, Solo slid off Kai's back and walked into the room. She saw that Ray and Saber were working on doubling their speed on their X Claw collision attack. Tyson and Lexis were battling Max and Terri head on without any hesitation. The Chief were analyzing their speeds and moves.  
  
"Solo!" Saber grinned as she saw her friend. Ray looked up and smiled.  
  
"You all right?" asked Ray.  
  
"How you feeling?" asked Terri.  
  
"Did you take your medication?" Lexis questioned.  
  
"When did she wake up?" asked Tyson.  
  
"Are you still feeling dizzy?" Max questioned.  
  
Solo looked about in irritation. Why were so many people concern about her? She frowned. "Yeah. I'm ok. Thanks people, for being so concerned about me." She walked towards a beyblade battle dish and took out her beyblade. Standing next to Kai, Solo whispered something into his ear. Kai listened, then closed his eyes and nodded.  
  
"Alright," Solo said as she positioned her beyblade into a ready for battle mode. "I want to battle one of you as a practice round before the tournament. Who's up for it?"  
  
"I guess I could work on my battling skills," Saber shrugged. Ray nodded when Saber questioned him if it was ok for her to battle Solo.  
  
"Ok. But if you dare to go soft on me just because I'm sick, then I'm going to tear your beyblade down piece by piece till even the best beyblade mechanic in the world won't be able to tell what the heck it is!" Saber grinned slyly.  
  
"Now that's the Solo we all love and know! You're on!" Saber took out her beyblade and positioned herself for battle. The two players faced the dish. Tyson held up his hand as he stood in the middle of the dish's edge.  
  
"Ok. Ready . . .. 3. 2 . . . 1 . . . let it rip!"  
  
"Let's go Panthera!"  
  
"Take her out, Bengalion!" The two beyblades started spinning around the dish. Saber grinned evilly.  
  
"Since you wanted no mercy, I'll show you no mercy. Panthera, scythe claw attack!"  
  
"Bengalion, Bengal tiger scratch!" Both beyblades collided into each other, then flew back from the impacts of the attack. Solo and Saber growled.  
  
"Come on Panthera! Show Bengalion what you're made of!" A light shimmered from Saber's beyblade as her bit-beast appeared.  
  
"I'm not letting you win this round so easily! Bengalion, attack now!" Bengalion rose from its beyblade and roared as Panthera snarled at it. Even though the two were on the same team, they looked even more ferocious than those on the opposing teams.  
  
"Panthera, black night illusion!" The entire dish turned black as Panthera camouflaged its beyblade along with the dish. Only the red streaks of Bengalion were seen because the rest of Solo's beyblade was also black.  
  
"Steady," Solo told Bengalion. This was just a waiting game.  
  
"Time to end this! Night Cat Attack!" Panthera leaped from out of the shadows, heading for Bengalion.  
  
"Dodge it!" Bengalion moved quickly to one side, sidestepping away from Panthera's attack. Saber gawked as her bit-beast completely missed its target.  
  
"What!? NO WAY! NO one's ever broken out of my attack like this before! Dang it!" Saber clenched her teeth. "Then I guess the trickster's gone and the real panther's here. Panthera, do your stuff!" Panthera roared, then dived into the black dish. The dish trembled violently like an earthquake. Nobody knew what was going on until they saw the inside of the dish cracking. Solo frowned.  
  
"Bengalion! You know what to do!" Bengalion growled, then dive into the center of the dish. The dish broke into two, then into eight as the two bit- beasts continued damaging it. Finally the dish broke into bits and pieces, making the two beyblades shake. Both fell onto the floor, but Panthera then slowed down and finally fell. Bengalion was hardly holding on, but managed to spin while Panthera was down. Saber grinned.  
  
"Hmm. . . . . not bad. . . . . . not bad at all. . . . ." Solo picked up her beyblade.  
  
"I must admit that you almost got me there," she murmured. Kenny's watch beeped.  
  
"Um. . . . guys, I hate to say this, but it's time to go. The tournament is going to start soon. So we better get going."  
  
"Are you kidding? I still have to eat!" Tyson exclaimed.  
  
"You can eat later," said Lexis. "I'll buy you a super duper combo at Wendy's."  
  
"Yeah!" Tyson pumped his fist in the air.  
  
"You guys ready? All our team work comes down to this," Max said.  
  
"Let's show those guys what we're made of," Terri smiled.  
  
"They're going down!" Ray replied.  
  
"No doubt about it!" Saber grinned. Solo and Kai surprisingly smiled instead of frowning as usual.  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
"We there yet, Chief?" asked Max. The two teams were now riding their bus to the beyblade stadium.  
  
"Almost. Maybe just a bit farther."  
  
"Once this is over, we're going to celebrate with one heck of a party!" Saber grinned.  
  
"But who's paying?" asked Ray. "Especially since Tyson's going to be there."  
  
"I say Kenny should pay," Tyson laughed.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"No. Dizzy said that he was cheap. She said so during the time Tyson was battling Enrique the first time they met."  
  
"I am NOT cheap!"  
  
"Well excuuuuuuuse me, then!" Ray laughed at Tyson's lame remark, then turned around. Kai was sitting at the back seat with Solo resting her head on his shoulder. He had an arm around her waist and his eyes flickered when he noticed Ray watching them.  
  
"Is she ok?" Kai closed his eyes, and then nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Her fever's recovering, but she's tired." Kai looked down at the sleeping Solo, then kissed her on the forehead.  
  
"Yow-za! Is that where we're going to battle in?" Saber pointed to a large building up ahead.  
  
"Yeah. It's was called the Biovolt Stadium before, but now, I'm not sure if they changed the name of it yet."  
  
"Where's Mr. Dickinson?" asked Terri.  
  
"I think he said that he was going ahead of us to make sure everything is running ok at the stadium," said Lexis. "He said he would meet us there."  
  
"You guys ready to battle yet?" Kenny asked Max and Terri. "We have almost no data on the opposing team, so you guys better be careful."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Max said. "Terri and I are going to do our best."  
  
"And even though if we lose, at least we'll know we lost trying," Terri replied. The bus stopped.  
  
"Well, this is it." Kenny stood up. "This is the battle stadium we'll be battling."  
  
"Alright! Hey guys, no matter what happens today in the beyblade tournament, I just want you to know that we're the best two teams out there!" Tyson cheered. The two teams put their hands together in the center. Even Kai and Solo.  
  
"Let's do this!"  
  
"Win or lose, we'll be friends forever!"  
  
"We'll be cheering for all of you until we lose our voices!"  
  
"You guys ready?" asked Tyson.  
  
"Ready!" everyone else responded.  
  
"Then let it rip!" Solo watched quietly as everyone else yelled and cheered. She had a bad feeling something bad was going to happen.  
  
I guess I'll find out soon enough, she thought. Just wait. . . . . . . .  
  
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= Well, what did you think of that, people? Boring or lame? There's going to be more action next time! After I finish all my tests/exams/and homework! :P Review!  
  
~Zero2-the-scyther 


	17. First Round win?

One True Team  
  
My apologies to everyone for updating so late!!!! I'll try to update earlier people!! Read and review! Thank you to all my reviewers! Sorry! ;_;  
  
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"Which way is it to our locker room?" Tyson asked impatiently as the gang walked down the hallway. It would only be a matter of minutes before the finals for the Team Pairs Championship would begin.  
  
"Here it is." Lexis opened the door and everyone went inside to hang up his or her coats.  
  
"Boy, am I excited to go battle or what?" Tyson exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, we know," laughed Max.  
  
"I can't wait to find out how the other team is like," Saber grinned, cracking her knuckles.  
  
"You shouldn't do that," Ray pointed out. "You'll get arthritis when you grow older." Saber looked down at her knuckles, which were already close to swelling.  
  
"Hm. . . . . .. Too bad."  
  
"I'm really nervous," Terri stuttered. "What if we lose?"  
  
"Well, then at least we knew we lost trying." Kenny got everyone to crowd together again.  
  
"Ok," he said. "Remember, Max and Terri will battle first. Then Ray and Saber will go and finally Tyson and Lexis. Stay focused and don't let down your guard if your partner is knocked out of the ring. Remember to use teamwork and do your best. If we lose, then at least we did our best."  
  
"Alright!" Tyson yelled. He put his hand in the middle while everyone put his or her hand on top of his. "Whatever happens, let's just remain friends forever and be the best two teams out there!"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
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"Alright, AJ! Looks like the crowd is just settling and is impatient to see the finalists compete!"  
  
"You've got that right Brad!" The crowd continues to cheer as DJ Jazzman proudly walks onto a balcony.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen!!! Are you ready for the two most amazing paired up teams in the tournament?" The crowd goes wild. DJ jumps up as he yells into the mike.  
  
"Please welcome the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats from this side!" Applause and cheers were heard from the crowd as the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats made their appearance. Solo frowned at the noisy crowd as the two teams walked across the stadium floor.  
  
I hate crowds, she thought. Her fever had barely vanished and she was still tired. Maybe this day-mare will be over soon.  
  
"And now, please give it up for the unstoppable gang, the Howlers!" Loud cheers and whistles were heard all around the stadium as a team, consisting of 8 girls marched out from the shadows. Lexis shivered when she saw them. One girl, obviously their leader, was walking ahead of the other 7, who walked in two rows. None of the girls were smiling. A few were frowning at the crowd and at them while a couple were smirking to themselves in an evil way. The rest remained emotionless.  
  
Solo gasped when she saw the leader of the Howlers. No way! She thought in horror. She had expected this but wasn't aware of the sudden fear in her heart.  
  
The leader had black hair with red highlights, black eyes, a black V- necked sleeveless shirt and black pants. She also had on black shoes. She stopped when she saw the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats. Her eyes focused directly on Solo, who stared back, growling. Both glared at each other, daggers running forth from each other. The pupils in their eyes shook angrily as they glared at each other with their cold black eyes. None of the other team members from opposite teams noticed this. Finally, the girl smiled, eyebrows arched and walked towards the bench. The rest of her team followed swiftly, with no hesitation.  
  
"They're look tough," whispered Max.  
  
"No doubt about it," Terri whispered back.  
  
"I guess this is it, ain't it?" asked Saber. "This is probably the toughest team we've ever seen, eh?"  
  
"I don't know," Ray answered softly. "Looks aren't everything, you know?"  
  
"You nervous, Lexis?" asked Tyson.  
  
"Oh yeah." The crowd became to cheer louder as it grew impatient for the match to begin. DJ looked about, then yelled into the mike again.  
  
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Let's get this party started! First match up, please welcome from the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats, Max and Terri!" Max and Terri stood up, smiling. The crowd cheered in respect.  
  
"Wish us luck, guys!" Max laughed as he and Terri walked towards the battle dish.  
  
"They sure are going to need luck," Kai murmured. Everyone looked at him. "This is no ordinary team."  
  
"And representing the Howlers will be Gwen and Wen!" Loud applause was heard all around the stadium as two almost identical looking girls stood up. Both had short straight black hair that was combed to one side and was down to their necks. The right side of the hair was tucked behind the right ear, a silver earring gleaming from it. Both were wearing black long sleeved shirts with a white opened vest over it, black pants, and boots that reached below their knees. The only difference between them was that one of the girls' boots was white while the other one's was black, but other than that, the two both had those same cold ice-blue eyes.  
  
Terri shivered as the twosome walked from their bench to the dish. Max noticed that the two for some reason were glaring at them, which made him feel uncomfortable. He decided to make an attempt to greet his opponents.  
  
"Uh . . . . . hey! Nice to meet y-you. . . ?"  
  
"What's your name, dude?" asked one of the girls.  
  
"Max. And this is my teammate Terri. Best wishes to you both in the match. I look forward to playing against you."  
  
"I hope that you are prepared for this match, Max," the first girl continued. Max guessed that this was Gwen, but he wasn't sure.  
  
"Oh we're prepared," Terri answered sarcastically. "What's the catch?" The girl eyed at her suspiciously, then continued to talk.  
  
"Listen, we're fighting for the titles for the Team Pairs Championships, right?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well-" The girl casually ran a hand through her silky black hair, allowing it to cascade onto one side before continuing. "The catch is this: my sister, Wen, and I play the sport of beyblading somewhat different than your way of seeing it. Your team likes to play it as a game of good sportsmanship and fun. WE play the sport serious, and I'm not talking about little pathetic pointless games I've seen you guys play with the rest of your opponents. I'm talking about the real thing. We play it hard and seriously."  
  
"So what exactly are you trying to tell us?"  
  
"I'm telling you NOT to hold anything back when you fight against us. We want to battle against the REAL power of your beyblade, not just some silly top. We would rather enjoy battling you if you were to throw every trick and secret weapon you've got at us. Even your bit-beasts, if you have any. So - feel free to get rough." "Are you sure?" asked Max. Gwen shot him a cold glare, then a smirk eerily and slowly spread across her face.  
  
"I'm sure." Wen, her sister, flipped her head casually, and smiled eerily at Terri.  
  
"Good luck, girl. You're not going to win that easily." Terri tried to smile, but it turned into a frown.  
  
Man, these girls are cold metal! She thought, eyeing at Gwen and Wen, who both revealed their beyblades. They were black and white, but the black and white colours looked like a spiral from a bird's eye view. Max and Terri both looked at each other then took out their beyblades and attached them to their launchers.  
  
"Come on Max and Terri! You can do it!" Tyson shouted from the bench. He was sitting in between the Chief and Lexis on the right side of the bench. Next to Lexis sat Saber, who was sitting next to Ray. Ray was sitting beside Kai, who sat next to an extremely frustrated Solo.  
  
Solo's eyes kept darting back and forth to the eyes of the leader of the Howlers, who glared back. The only other thing she was looking at besides that girl was the black origami flower she had found taped to the door when their room was ransacked and a knife was nailed against the door. She had forgotten that it was in her pocket, but now took it out with a trembling hand.  
  
Kai didn't notice their glaring contest, but he felt that Solo was really impatient and was unusually quieter than she normally would. Usually, Solo might at least say a couple of words to Kai, but ever since they had arrived here in the dome and had met their opposing team, Solo had become very fidgety. Her breathing had become more rapid too, and she kept looking at the team leader of the Howlers every 5 seconds.  
  
"Players, please get into position! And a 3! 2! 1! LET IT RIIIIIPPP!!!!"  
  
"H-yah!"  
  
"Come on! Let's do some damage!" All four beyblades flew from their masters' launchers and landed in the battle dish. Terri and Max nodded together.  
  
"Alright! Let's do this! DC Barrier!" Draciel and Cougarah spun into the middle and began their defense strategy just as Gwen and Wen's beyblades slammed into gear. Both beyblades tried to knock Draciel and Cougarah off balance but could not because of their defense shields. Gwen and Wen's beyblades flew backwards and then circled back to Draciel and Cougarah. Again they attacked but could not knock them off balance. The freaky part was that Gwen and Wen didn't even blink at the advantage Draciel and Cougarah had over their own beyblades.  
  
"Alright!" Saber cheered. "Way to go Max and Terri!"  
  
"Their defense barriers must be stronger than I suspected," Ray replied.  
  
"Pretty soon, Max and Terri are going to win this battle of two on two!" Tyson shouted gleefully.  
  
"Hold it. Something's not right," Kai cut in.  
  
"What now, Mr. Sour-puss?" asked Tyson. Solo didn't even notice that comment. Kai glared at Tyson.  
  
"Those two girls are up to something and it isn't good."  
  
"Kai's right, you know," Kenny agreed. He had been analyzing the four beyblades' movements with Dizzy and had come up with an answer.  
  
"Listen you guys. Something strange is going on. As we see right now as spectators of this battle, it looks as if Max and Terri are going to lick these two sisters out of the game. But they don't seem too upset about it. In fact, they don't look worried at all. Take a look at this." Kenny showed them his laptop. It had an image of Terri's beyblade on it and next to it were two bar graphs. "These two graphs represent Terri's beyblade. The first graph shows us Terri's power and defense level before Gwen and Wen attacked. The second shows Terri's power and defense level presently."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Lexis asked in disbelief as she looked at the comparison of the charts.  
  
"Oh, no. As you can see, Terri's potential defense was at full power in the first chart. In the second chart, it has fallen down and has decrease by at least 75%, which means that in just a matter of minutes, Terri's defense system will be completely wiped out."  
  
"What about Max?" Tyson asked.  
  
"Well, he's not doing much better than Terri is, but he is holding on much better by 2.5%."  
  
"2.5%?! We need them to keep this up by at least 10%!"  
  
"What about their bit-beasts?" asked Ray.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Their bit-beasts. Shouldn't they power up their beyblade(s) and keep it running? I mean, they COULD just summon their bit-beasts and stop themselves from getting wiped out, can't they?"  
  
"They could."  
  
"But the question is this," Solo murmured. "Does the other team have bit- beasts more powerful than we do?"  
  
"What do you mean? We don't even KNOW for certain if the other team HAS bit-beasts for that matter," Saber replied dully.  
  
"You're wrong. The other team DOES have bit-beasts and they CAN overpower us." Solo remained silent again, trying to focus on the battle. Saber clenched her teeth and growled silently.  
  
"Max! I'm starting to wobble!" Terri cried to him. She wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand.  
  
"Same here," Max answered back. "I guess we have no choice but to reveal our weapon, eh?" Gwen and Wen's beyblades were circling back for another round of slam-and-jam.  
  
"Ok! Let's go Draciel!"  
  
"Cougarah, do your stuff!" Both bit-beasts rose up from their beyblades, growling. Gwen and Wen both suddenly smiled.  
  
"Yes! It's about time." Their beyblades spun faster as the black and white patterns on their blades spiraled like a never-ending twister. Cougarah lunged at the closest spinning beyblade.  
  
"Cougarah! Mountain Cat Attack!" Cougarah growled as its claws glistened. It was heading directly for Wen's beyblade.  
  
"Shift now!" Wen commanded. Her beyblade sidestepped from the bit-beast and lit up. Everyone gasped at this.  
  
"What the? How can Cougarah miss that attack?" Terri sputtered in frustration. Wen's blade glowed as something hovered over her beyblade. It was her bit-beast: an owl. It spread out its wings and chirped eerily, its huge eyes staring right into the glowering eyes of Cougarah. Cougarah couldn't take its eyes off the owl's huge spiraling eyes. It froze in its position.  
  
"Cougarah! What are you doing?" Terri cried out to her bit-beast. Max could only gawk at the huge owl.  
  
"Oh man! That is the most uncommon bit-beast I have ever seen!" Kenny stammered.  
  
"And it's huge!" Tyson gasped. Everyone else, including Kai was completely astounded at the owl.  
  
"You guys aren't the only ones with a bit-beast, you know," Wen said. "Meet my bit-beast, Rye." Rye hooted as it continued to stare into Cougarah's eyes. Cougarah froze.  
  
"Aw man!" Max sputtered, completely awed with Cougarah and Rye. Gwen suddenly yelled, breaking the moment.  
  
"ATTACK NOW!" A light lit up in Gwen's beyblade as it charged at Draciel. Something lunged out at Draciel as it was completely caught off guard. It was another owl. Its eyes flared up as it screeched like a ghost. Its beak snapped as its wings spread and its claws rammed into Draciel.  
  
"NO! Draciel!"  
  
"Predator, finish it off!" Predator, the huge silver great-horned owl, nose-dived down and slammed dead right into Draciel, knocking it down. It wasn't the only thing that disappeared from the ring. Max's beyblade also flew out of the ring, rolling away.  
  
"Oh no!" Max cried as he held his head in confusion.  
  
"Cougarah! Attack it!" Terri tried to order her bit-beast to listen to her, but Cougarah stayed frozen. Rye continued to stare in its eyes, then finally screeched once again, and with a mighty shove of its claws, knocked Cougarah back and slammed it out of the stadium. Cougarah landed beside Draciel, both beyblades smoking. Terri and Max could only stay silent, shocked at their defeat. It was their worst defeat ever. Predator and Rye flew next to each other, screeching before they disappeared back into their beyblades, and flew back into their masters' hands. Gwen and Wen didn't even smile.  
  
"I hope you now realize how serious I am when I told you not to hold anything back," Gwen stated. "But, it turns out that you don't HAVE anything to hold back at all." Wen grunted at them in a satisfying 'hmph'. Then joined her twin sister and walked back to the bench. Max picked up his beyblade and nearly dropped it. It was too hot. The metal defense ring was still hot from the battle. Terri's beyblade was scratched and even cracked.  
  
"AH man! Those girls were absolutely brutal!" Saber commented.  
  
"They shouldn't be allowed into the battle dome for violence and trash- talking," Kenny cried out.  
  
"Be quiet. They weren't trash-talking," Kai snapped. "That's just their way of communicating."  
  
"I don't get it," Lexis said, crossing her arms across her chest. "Why can't Terri get control of her bit-beast?"  
  
"I know," Saber agreed. "Terri would be the last person I would think of who would lose control of her bit-beast."  
  
"Do you think Dizzy can tell us anything?" asked Ray.  
  
"Let's see." Kenny typed on his laptop, occasionally clicking on a few files. "Aw man! I can't seem to find anything on why a bit-beast would stop and disobey its master. The only time it would actually do that is if it doesn't like the way it's being treated, or if you fight half-heartedly. The result for that would be losing your bit-beast."  
  
"I know how THAT feels," Ray sighed, remembering how he felt when he had lost Driger to Kevin.  
  
"Ouch!" Saber winced.  
  
"Chief!" Terri ran over to the others with Max right behind her. "Something's not right. Cougarah won't listen to me."  
  
"We think you might have seen something or analyzed the last battle on your laptop," Max replied.  
  
"Sorry," Kenny said. "But Dizzy and I don't understand what's wrong. Until your bit-beast appears again, we won't know what really happened."  
  
"That's ok," Terri answered. "Thanks for your help anyways." Terri and Max stood among themselves by the bench, repairing/replacing some of their broken beyblade parts.  
  
Solo clenched her teeth. Things were really bad now. Something wasn't right. You're up to something, aren't you Howlers?  
  
"And ladies and gentlemen! Please get ready for round 2, cause it's coming right at you!!!!!!!!!!" DJ yelled.  
  
"And here we go again, AJ!"  
  
"That's right, Brad. I must say the Howlers have been very mysterious and cautious with their moves."  
  
"Players: ARE YOU READY?" The crowd cheered as they watched the competitors prepare for battle.  
  
"You ready to beat these guys Terri?" asked Max.  
  
"Oh yeah." Terri glared at Wen, but she eerily seemed to be smiling.  
  
"And 3. . . . 2. . . . 1. . . . Let it RIP!"  
  
"Come on Cougarah!" Terri yelled as she ripped her beyblade.  
  
"Time to battle, Draciel!" Max shouted. Rye and Predator flew from their launchers and hit the battle dish.  
  
"Let's see what you've got kid," Gwen sneered.  
  
"Draciel! Attack now!"  
  
"Hey look! Max isn't playing defense anymore!" Tyson cried.  
  
"He must be desperate!" Kenny yelled. Draciel charged into Predator and knocked him back. Gwen stared. She seemed surprised.  
  
"Well, I guess you're not just an all defense beyblader," she murmured.  
  
"Gwen, would you stop being so foolish?" Wen groaned.  
  
"Why? What's the matter?" asked Gwen.  
  
"This little game's starting to get on my nerves," Wen growled.  
  
"So. . . . you're out of patience," Gwen said coolly. "What say we. . . . . have a little fun before we end this?"  
  
"I thought you'd never ask," Wen sighed, relieved at her sister's answer.  
  
"Terri! Let's try our battle strategy again!" Max suggested. "They don't seem to be paying attention right now!"  
  
"Ok!" Terri answered. "DC Barrier- huh? I said DC Barrier! . . . . . . . Cougarah! Why won't you listen to me?" It was true. Cougarah and Draciel both rose from their beyblades in their bit-beast form. Draciel seemed to be heading for Predator and Rye, but Cougarah wasn't following. Instead, Cougarah was growling and gnashing its teeth at Draciel when it tried to lunge at Predator and Rye. Both Gwen and Wen were snickering, their hands crossed across their chests.  
  
"Heh heh heh. . . . my, this is amusing," said Wen.  
  
"Alright! What have you two done with my bit-beast?" Terri demanded.  
  
"I think I ought to explain this one," Wen spoke up. "Gwen needs a rest from answering all these annoying questions. It's very simple. What we've. . . . . or should I say Rye has done is put Cougarah under a little temporary spell. When your bit-beast showed up at first and faced mine, Rye and Cougarah had a little glaring contest. Rye's eyes have the most original talent I have ever seen. My bit-beast has the ability to transfix another bit-beast's eyes by staring at it. Once it stares at it, it can't take its eyes off of Rye's pupils. While this is going on, Rye uses a special technique and can put anyone who stares into its eyes under a spell. Rye can then control the bit-beast's actions and order it what to do."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Max piped up. "You don't mean that -"  
  
"OH yeah," Wen smiled. "My bit-beast has the ability to hypnotize."  
  
"Ah!" Terri gasped. Everyone else gasped in surprise.  
  
"That's a very interesting method and ability," Kenny said. "I've never seen a bit-beast with an ability like that."  
  
"That's also very cheap!" Saber snapped. "How can they just hypnotize someone's bit-beast and order it to win? It just doesn't sound fair!"  
  
"Life isn't fair. . . . ." Lexis sighed. "But I guess this isn't against the rules."  
  
"Now that Rye has control of your bit-beast, there is no way you can win!" Cougarah roared, then lunged at Draciel and scratched it.  
  
"NOOOOO! COUGARAH!" Terri screamed. "Max! I'm so sorry! I don't know what to do!"  
  
"It's ok," Max said, squeezing her hand. " I just hope that Draciel can stand up to this." Draciel fought back as it defended itself against the out-of-control bit-beast. Cougarah growled as it launched itself against Draciel over and over again. Both beyblades were wobbling while Rye and Predator stood on the side. Gwen put down her arms.  
  
"As much as I DO enjoy watching this, I suppose it would be more fair if I ordered my bit-beast to finish you off. PREDATOR!" Predator flew above the two fighting bit-beast and nose-dived into them. Draciel and Cougarah knocked into each other and were tossed out of the ring. Terri and Max both gasped, hand in hand. They had lost the first battle out of three. The Bladebreakers and the Wildcats couldn't believe their eyes.  
  
"NO!!!" Max grabbed hold of his hair. Terri glared at the two opponents, tears in her eyes.  
  
"This hypnotism spell is only temporary, right?"  
  
"Yeah. In exchange for use of your bit-beast, Rye disuses your bit-beast once you are officially beaten. It will return to its normal self again." The two sisters marched back to their bench, where they spoke to their leader. Solo's eyes narrowed.  
  
"This has to be the most unfair match ever!" Tyson declared.  
  
"Yeah, but they haven't broken any rules. So we can't have them disqualified," sighed Ray as he looked down at his feet.  
  
"Don't be so hard on yourselves," Lexis told Terri and Max. "You both tried your best. What matters to us is that you put effort in to it."  
  
"Yeah," Max murmured.  
  
"Saber, you better win this one for us!" Terri growled.  
  
"NO problemo!" Saber flashed a peace sign and jumped off the bench. Ray stood up.  
  
"Hey Ray," said Solo.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Watch out. This team may have more tricks than we thought. Don't underestimate them." Kai nodded.  
  
"Ok. We'll do our best." With that, Ray and Saber walked to the battle dish.  
  
"Just be careful, guys," Solo murmured. She sighed and tried to concentrate. But all she could think about was the girl on the other side. . . . . . . . .  
  
~ SORRY I UPDATE SO SLOW!!!!!!!!!! MY APOLOGIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!!! I hope that wasn't too boring! Review!  
  
~Zero2-the-scyther 


	18. One plus one just makes a tie

One True Team  
  
Once again, sorry for updating so late! Computer was screwed up! SORRY!!!!! Now, please read and enjoy!  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ *  
  
"And if you have just joined us, we're reporting live from Russia in the little town of Moscow, where we're witnessing live the finals for the Team Pairs Championships! I'm Brad Best, reporting here live!"  
  
"And this is AJ Topper! So far, out of the three matches we are going to see, the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats have lost the first round to the Howlers! Which means if the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats don't win the next match, they're going to be kicked out of the championships. And it also means that the Howlers will take the cup!"  
  
"Man, this is nerve-racking!" Saber sighed.  
  
"Calm down," Ray told her. "We have to stay focused if we want to win this."  
  
"The next round features from the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats, the well known Ray and Saber!" Cheers came from around the stadium.  
  
"Good luck, guys," Lexis called to them.  
  
"Win this for us!" Max yelled.  
  
"Hey Ray! Go show them what you're made of," Tyson grinned.  
  
"Oh yeah," Ray said. Saber flashed a thumbs up and together with Ray, walked up to the edge of the dish.  
  
"I wonder who's going to go up against them," Kenny wondered out loud.  
  
"Whoever it is isn't going to let them win that easily," Kai mumbled.  
  
"Representing the Howlers are Raven and Rochelle!" Two girls stood up. Saber glared at them. Rochelle appeared to be the taller of the two girls, with short reddish brown hair. Her brown eyes flashed around as she saw Ray and Saber. She was dressed in a blue T-shirt, blue jeans, and black running shoes (Adidas mind you). The other girl, Raven, was as tall as Saber, with long straight brown hair tied back into a ponytail. Her long bangs covered the sides of her face and very nearly hid her eyes. But those emerald green eyes shone in the light as she brushed past her bangs. She was wearing a black t-shirt; navy blue sports pants, and black shoes.  
  
"So, you ready to rumble?" Saber challenged her opponents. Raven smiled slyly.  
  
"Oh yeah. I'm going to get back at you for sure!"  
  
"Huh?" Ray stuttered. What did she mean when she said she'd get back at Saber? Do they know each other or something?  
  
"You look like a worthy opponent." Rochelle's voice broke Ray's thoughts. Ray smiled.  
  
"I'll show you just how worthy I can be," he responded, a hint of sarcasm at the edge of his voice. Rochelle just smiled back, a gleam in her eye.  
  
"Hmm. . . . . . . .. You're a smart one for words. I like your style . . . . . . . I just hope your beyblade's as good as your style is." Rochelle took out her beyblade. It was a brownish-yellow color that looked to be an uncommon color for beyblades because this was the first time Ray had seen a beyblade in this color. It looked almost like the color of sand. Raven growled, then grunted at Saber and took out her beyblade. It was yellow with black edging. Raven glared at Saber and Ray all the way as she put her beyblade onto her launcher. Saber just merely 'hmphed' at her and muttered, "Showoff" under her breath.  
  
"Calm down Saber," Ray whispered to her. Saber gave him a confidential smile and winked.  
  
"Thanks tiger." Ray blushed at that, then remembered where he was and focused as he placed his beyblade onto his shooter. This sure isn't going to be easy, he thought.  
  
"Players, are you ready? And in 3. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 1. . . . . . . LET IT RIP!!!!!"  
  
"Go Driger!"  
  
"Show 'em what you're made of, Panthera!"  
  
"This is your doom, Saber!"  
  
"H-yah!" All four beyblades hit the surface of the battle dish as the beyblades spun faster and faster. Panthera and Raven's blade immediately rammed into each other fiercely.  
  
"Panthera! Scythe claw attack!" Panthera rammed into Raven's beyblade as the friction between the two beyblades made sparks fly out. Meanwhile, Driger and Rochelle's blade were playing a game of cat and mouse. Driger, with no doubt, was the cat. Rochelle, for some unknown reason, was impressed at the speed Driger was gaining behind her beyblade.  
  
"You're pretty good at this," she commented.  
  
"I can do better, but Saber and I've got a match to win. Pull her in, Driger! Tiger claw attack!" With one hit, Driger pushed Rochelle's beyblade closer to the middle of the dish. It ran into Raven's blade, which had been knocked into the center by Panthera.  
  
"Alright! You ready Ray?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"X-CLAW COLLISION!" There were two quick strokes of movement and two loud crashes as both Raven and Rochelle's beyblades flew out. Panthera and Driger remained spinning in their positions.  
  
"And the winners are Ray and Saber for the first match out of three!" DJ yelled. Applause sounded all across the stadium. Saber grinned and stuck out a tongue at Raven, who growled. A vein popped out of Raven's forehead as she clenched her teeth. Then she frowned and smiled. Rochelle seemed to have lost the nicer part of herself and her eyebrows arched down.  
  
"I guess we've played long enough with you two," Rochelle said in a low voice.  
  
"Now, let's get down to the real business," Raven sneered. She tilted her head side to side, making the bones in her neck crack. Saber cracked her knuckles in response to that. She could have sworn she heard Ray murmuring "Arthritis" under his breath. Oh well! This was war!  
  
"Ray! Keep up the great work with Saber!" Tyson yelled.  
  
"You guys are doing great!" Terri shouted. Max laughed.  
  
"Don't lose your temper, Saber!" Lexis warned her friend.  
  
"Let's win this one, Saber," Ray smiled.  
  
"You bet!" Saber answered. The four players got back into their places and prepared to battle.  
  
"And 3 . . . . .. 2 . . . . .. 1 . . . . . . . Let it Rip!"  
  
" Let's go Driger!"  
  
"Win this one, Panthera!" The moment Panthera and Driger touched the ground, both Ray and Saber shouted, "X-Claw Collision!" The two beyblades rushed towards Raven and Rochelle's beyblades.  
  
"Not so fast," Raven yelled. Raven's yellow and black beyblade backed away and circled around the dish. Panthera was on its tracks. Rochelle's beyblade spun in the middle as Driger crashed into it. Raven's beyblade and Panthera happened to zoom by behind Driger.  
  
"Now!" Rochelle shouted. "Carlux, Caracal pounce!" There was a blinding flash as Carlux, a caracal bit-beast lunged out of its beyblade. It smashed into Driger, who was unprepared for such and attack, and knocked it right into Panthera, who was passing by. The impact of the surprise attack caused both Driger and Panthera to fly out of the stadium and onto the floor. Saber and Ray gasped. This match ended even quicker than the last one.  
  
"Oh wow!" Max breathed out.  
  
"She sure has one wicked bit-beast," Solo murmured. Everyone looked at her in surprise. She hadn't spoken to anyone since the last match. Kai looked at her curiously.  
  
"Then I'll bet the other girl also has a bit- beast too," he said. "They must have been toying with Saber and Ray, and have waited till they were off guard."  
  
"Pretty smart strategy, I'll say," Lexis commented.  
  
"Ray and Saber better watch out," Kenny said. "If they're not careful, then they could end up losing this match!"  
  
"Players, prepare for the final round!" DJ shouted. The crowd joined in as he said, "3 . . .. 2 . . . . . . .1 . . . . . Let it rip!"  
  
All four beyblades hit the surface of the battle dish as they landed. Saber clenched her teeth and pointed at Raven.  
  
"You're not going to get away easily THIS time!"  
  
"Neither are you! I plan to get back at you by humiliating you in public through this match! You will soon taste defeat!"  
  
"What do you mean by getting back at me? Huh?" Saber asked scornfully. Ray turned his attention to Rochelle.  
  
"I think I've seen you somewhere before," he said. "You were in the crowd somewhere."  
  
"I WAS in the crowd before. We were just watching your matches to determine how good you were."  
  
"Hm. . . . . .. Driger! Attack now!"  
  
"Carlux, got get him!" Both Carlux and Driger went at each other from their beyblades. The two bit-beasts collided, causing sparks to fly out.  
  
" Ha. My turn. It's time to show you what I'm made of. Lee-ix! Reveal yourself!" There was a blinding light as Raven's bit-beast rose up.  
  
"Ah . . . . . argh!" Saber gasped as she saw the spirit's image clear up. It was a leopard. It had golden yellow fur with spots on it. Its eyes were yellow and were darting about dangerously. It roared, showing its fangs, and lunged at Panthera.  
  
"GO Panthera!" There was another loud roar as Panthera jumped out of its beyblade. It hissed at Lee-ix, and slashed its claws at it. Lee-ix slashed back.  
  
"Scythe claw attack!"  
  
"Leopard paw slash!" Both beyblades bounced back from the attacks. Saber growled at Raven.  
  
"Not bad," Raven murmured. "Too bad your bit-beast isn't as strong as mine!" Lee-ix pounced at Panthera, who backed away, growling.  
  
"I've had enough of staring at you! Now, PANTHERA!! STRIKE IT DOWN!"  
  
"Don't let it get you! Lee-ix, full attack now!"  
  
Both Panthera and Lee-ix jumped at each other with their claws spread wide open. At the same time, Driger and Carlux were also lunging at each other. There was a loud BANG! The dish started to crack. And then there was a bright flash as dust began to fill the dish. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the blinding light. Coughing from all the dust and smoke, Ray rubbed his eyes. Both Raven and Rochelle had also recovered. Saber looked at the dish impatiently.  
  
Everyone was waiting for the smoke to clear. All the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats sat at the edge of their seats. If they lost this round, then it'll be over for them. The Howlers also sat still, waiting to see if they had won the championships. The clock ticked second by second. Even the audience sat still. DJ wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Hardly any sound was heard.  
  
(Whispers) "I'll say. This can go either way, Brad."  
  
(Whispers) "I know. We can't tell who will win until the smoke clears up."  
  
Finally, the dust settled. Saber and Ray leaned forward for a closer look. Raven and Rochelle gasped in horror. All the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats craned their necks forward to see. The Howlers gawked at the dish. Even DJ had to lean against the railing on the balcony to get a closer view.  
  
"OH wow! I don't believe it! It seems that none of the beyblades are left spinning! It's a TIE!!!!! Yes ladies and gentlemen! A TIE!!!!!!!" It was true. The battle dish was completely smashed and cracked into pieces. Four beyblades were crushed along with it. They were all still and were all lying on the ground. Not one was spinning. The audience cheered.  
  
"I don't believe my eyes," Raven murmured with disgust.  
  
"We actually tied?" Saber asked.  
  
"I can't believe we didn't lose," Ray sighed.  
  
"How can we tie?" Rochelle complained. "Nobody has every tied with us before! NEVER!"  
  
"Does this mean we still have a chance of winning?" asked Tyson.  
  
"Looks that way," Lexis answered.  
  
"Hmph." Solo turned to look at Kai for the first time. "They barely managed to hold on," Kai said. "It was a good thing we tied. Otherwise, we would have already lost."  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen!" DJ Yelled. "Because there is a tie, it still means that the Howlers are leading by one match! But if the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats win the next round, there will be a sudden death match afterwards to settle the score! If the Howlers win the next round, then they'll take the cup into winning the Team Pairs Championships!"  
  
"Grr!" Saber grunted.  
  
"Listen, I have a few questions to ask you," Ray said. Raven turned around, interested. "What exactly did you mean when you said that you'll get back at Saber for what she did to you?"  
  
"Yeah," Saber agreed. "I didn't do a single thing to you before we got started."  
  
"Hmph!" Raven crossed her arms.  
  
"Just tell them, Raven. Only that part of the whole thing," Rochelle told her. Raven glared at her for a second.  
  
"Fine. Recognize this?" Raven brushed aside her bangs that were partly draping over her eyes. There was a purple smudge near Raven's right eye. Looking a little closer, Saber realized that it wasn't a purple smudge at all. It was a bruise.  
  
"Not really. Wait-" A flashback came back to Saber of the night when she was attacked by some anonymous girl. The girl had told her to back off from the championships. SHE had refused, by saying that they will NEVER surrender. The attacker had then lunged at her, punching and kicking her. Saber gasped when she suddenly remembered something. She had elbowed the attacker in the face in order to defend herself. The attacker had cursed under her breath and was rubbing her face. What if she had accidentally elbowed the attacker in the eye instead of the face? Then that means . . . . .  
  
"OF course! You're the girl from the roof," Saber stated.  
  
"What?" Ray stuttered.  
  
"Ray, remember that time when you were trying to look for me after I ran out of the restaurant?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You found me on the roof, all beaten up. Well, RAVEN here must have been the attacker who had beat me up."  
  
"Is that true?"  
  
"I wonder," Raven yawned sarcastically. "Are you actually smarter than you look?"  
  
"GRRR!" Saber growled.  
  
"But, I'm afraid you've figured out only the first half of the who entire puzzle." Raven laughed. Rochelle turned around to face her leader, giving her a warning look and nodded towards at Raven. The girl with the black and red highlighted hair, or the leader, simply just held up a hand and nodded. Rochelle turned back.  
  
"If you guys can figure out where else you've seen me, then perhaps I might tell you the whole thing," Raven bragged. "Of course, you'll have to promise not to say a single thing to the police AND most importantly the BBA and Mr. Dickinson."  
  
"Okay," Tyson said. "Let me get this straight. You're telling me that we've seen you before. Is that right?"  
  
"As Saber would say, righty-o," Raven answered. "But you guys have to promise not to tell. If you're nice, I might even tell you the whole story, but of course, my boss here isn't going to let me spoil all the fun." The two teams looked at each other, deciding on Raven's deal.  
  
"Well, what should we do?"  
  
"I don't know, but it sounds like important information we're dealing with here."  
  
"I don't think we should agree to anything."  
  
"But if we don't agree, we might not be able to find out."  
  
"What ARE we trying to find out anyhow? We know that Raven's connected to the night Saber got attacked somehow."  
  
"Well, duh! She IS the attacker!"  
  
"So, Blade Cats, or Wild Breakers, what do you say?" Raven asked sarcastically.  
  
"Hold it." Rochelle faced Raven.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"I don't think it's fair to tell them what exactly is going on. The boss says that we should wait until the very end of our championship match before we tell them the whole thing."  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!?! No way! Argh! And I was so close to getting them all pressured up!"  
  
"Raven!" Raven turned around to face the black and red haired girl. "They WILL know what the whole thing is after we win the championship match. Just keep them in suspense until then." Raven clenched her teeth.  
  
"Fine! But unless they agree to battle us to the very end, they won't get to hear a SINGLE WORD!"  
  
"Agreed," Solo murmured. Everyone stared at her. "Just make sure you keep your promise to tell us everything."  
  
"We will," the girl answer. "Don't worry about that." Solo grunted.  
  
"Just wait. . . . . . . ."  
  
* What did you think of that? Review please!* ~Zero2-the-scyther 


	19. A Frozen Situation

One True Team  
  
Sorry for the update delay! I just got back from a trip and these freaking mosquito bites are killing me!!!!!!! Anyhow, hope you enjoy this chapter! Review! Please forgive me for updating like 5000 years later! (Sniff sniff)  
  
(P.S. This beyblade match is NOT the sudden death match but the match before it, in case you're wondering)  
  
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"And we're back here live in Russia, Moscow, featuring the finals of the Teams Pairs Championships! Right now, the Howlers are winning by one and the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats will need to win this round in order to stay in the championships!"  
  
"That's right Brad! We just had a tie, and that means that there will be a sudden death match if the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats can stay in the game!"  
  
"Man, this is nerve racking!" Tyson exclaimed, freaking everyone out.  
  
"Tyson, calm down," Lexis said, pecking him on the cheek. "If you don't calm down, then you won't be able to focus on your match."  
  
"Go get them Tyson and Lexis!" Ray and Saber both growled. Obviously, tying with their opponents, especially to the Howlers was not what they'd wished for.  
  
"Yeah! You can do it!" Max and Terri cheered. Tyson gave them a thumbs up.  
  
"No problem," he said. The two stood up as DJ announced their names.  
  
"And facing the mighty Tyson and Lexis, representing the Howlers will be Ruth and Julie!" Two medium height girls stood up. Ruth had sandy brown hair that was as long as Lexis' hair. She appeared to be wearing a pair of black jeans and a baggy black T-shirt over a long sleeved white shirt. She wore a orange bandana around her neck. Julie however was wearing a brown cowboy style shirt over a slim black shirt and black pants. She had short black hair that she tucked behind her ears. The two walked towards the battle dish and faced Lexis and Tyson. Ruth smiled. Unlike their other teammates, both Ruth and Julie smiled happily instead of frowning or smirking.  
  
"Hey! I'm glad that I can finally go against the defending world champion," she said cheerfully. She seemed to be the most cheerful and well, human like out of the entire team. Tyson smirked.  
  
"Glad to hear I've got someone who's glad about going against me."  
  
"I know I shouldn't be socializing with my opponents but I love beybladers like you and Lexis," Ruth said. Tyson turned to look at Lexis.  
  
"Is she trying to trick us with her sweet act or is she the only friendly girl in the whole team?"  
  
"I really don't know," Lexis replied.  
  
"Hey!" Julie yelled, interrupting their conversation. "I don't want to be rude or anything, but we have a match going on here."  
  
"My apologies," Lexis said, blushing a bit. "It's just that . . . . . . . uh . . . . .. Well . . . . . . ."  
  
"It's just that you two actually seem, how can I say this? You two actually seem friendly, unlike the rest of your teammates," Tyson stuttered. "Not to be rude or anything but-"  
  
"Don't mind my fellow teammates," Ruth said, in a singsong voice. "We just don't like being 'that way' in a sport like this," she answered as she thumbed at her teammates behind her. Raven rolled her eyes.  
  
"We prefer to have manners unlike the rest of them," Julie replied. Both Tyson and Lexis exchanged a sigh of relief. The rest of the Howlers looked insulted and annoyed. "But, that doesn't necessarily apply for our beyblading skills." Lexis looked a bit challenged while impressed at the same time. Tyson grunted and took out Dragoon.  
  
"Well you've got yourselves a challenge!" he yelled. Attaching his beyblade to his shooter, Tyson faced Julie. "You ready?"  
  
"Oh yeah." Julie took out her beyblade, which was entirely white except for the silver markings around the edge of her beyblade. Ruth's eyes widened when she saw Lexis reveal Jaguarah. Smiling, Lexis attached her beyblade onto her shooter and prepared for battle. Ruth then took out her beyblade, which was also white and silver. Both attached their beyblades to their shooters, then prepared for battle.  
  
"Alright ladies and gentlemen! And 3 . . . . . 2. . . . . 1. . . . . . LET IT RIP!"  
  
"Battle blade!"  
  
"H-yah!"  
  
The four beyblades hit the dish hard, then began to circle around.  
  
"Let's go!" Tyson yelled. Dragoon reared in and crashed into Julie's beyblade. Ruth and Lexis' beyblades were already colliding.  
  
"Dragoon attack!" Dragoon attacked, knocking Ruth's beyblade aside.  
  
"Hmm. . . . . .. I like your style," Ruth commented. "But it won't be good enough to save you. Polar J., strike them now!" Ruth's beyblade started to glow. Then her bit-beast flew out. It was in the form of a polar bear, all white. It was incredibly big with beautiful white fur. Its beady eyes flashed as it roared, breathing chilly cold air into the arena.  
  
"Aw man!" Tyson shivered as he watched Polar J. charge right at Dragoon, who was starting to wobble under the pressure of the arctic cold air. Lexis wasn't the only person besides Tyson who was shivering. So did their whole combined team, the crowd, and the announcers.  
  
"At any rate, not only am I going to lose, but I'm also going to catch pneumonia!" Tyson groaned.  
  
"Not if I can help it," Lexis muttered. "Jaguarah, back him up!" Jaguarah zoomed out of its beyblade and tried to prevent Polar J. from knocking Dragoon out.  
  
"You're not going to save your friend THAT easily," Julie exclaimed. "Go Canon!" From out of nowhere, the bit-beast of a bobcat lunged out. Lexis gasped.  
  
"PJ, arctic whirlpool attack!" Ruth ordered. The huge polar bear roared, as a huge massive wave of freezing water crashed right into Jaguarah, who was hissing violently and was completely wet.  
  
"Canon, Iceberg destructor!" A huge blast of ice was fired from Canon's mouth, aimed directly at Jaguarah. Because the earlier attack done by P.J. had Jaguarah completely wet, Canon's iceberg destructor had cause the wet Jaguarah to completely freeze. The huge jaguar now stood motionless, frozen in its form into a block of ice.  
  
"Oh no!" Terri exclaimed.  
  
"They're too good," Saber groaned.  
  
"Now, they've discovered Lexis' weakness," Solo murmured. She stared at the black/red haired girl with a surprised expression on her face. The girl just stared back smugly, with an expression that read: You'll find out soon.  
  
Both Dragoon and Jaguarah stopped spinning and toppled onto the battle dish.  
  
"And the winners are Ruth and Julie!" DJ announced. "Achoo!"  
  
"Oh great!" Lexis sighed as she picked up Jaguarah, almost dropping it because it was too cold. "What should we do?"  
  
"If they don't win the next round, we're going to lose!" Saber muttered.  
  
"At least Julie and Ruth play 'humanly'," said Terri. "Unlike those other guys who just trash talk."  
  
"Well," said Kenny, wiping the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief. "I DID come up with a plan that just might knock the socks off Julie and Ruth. It's rather complicated if they haven't rehearsed it, but we've only got one shot at this. Tyson, Lexis, come here! Now, here's what we'll do . . . . . . ."  
  
"You're being WAY too lenient with them," Raven told Julie and Ruth. "You should have finished them the moment you got started."  
  
"Hey! I'm not in the mood for finishing people today, so shut up!" Julie snarled at Raven, who glared at her furiously.  
  
The leader remained silent as Raven and Julie continued to bicker at each other. Some things just never change.  
  
"Players, please return back for the second session of the match. Thank you. Now, let's get started! 3 . . . . . 2 . . . . .. 1 . . . . . . . Let it RIP!"  
  
"Dragoon attack!" Tyson yelled.  
  
"Let's put the chief's plan into gear," Lexis said. All four blades went at each other almost immediately.  
  
"Let's finish them off now so we can talk to them later, k?" asked Ruth. Julie nodded.  
  
"Alright! P.J. arctic whirlpool attack!"  
  
"Canon, iceberg destructor!" Both P.J. and Canon attacked at the same time.  
  
"Now!" Jaguarah zoomed forward, curving as it turned. As it turned, Jaguarah hit Dragoon, who flew up in the air, hovering just above.  
  
"Phantom hurricane attack!" Tyson yelled. Dragoon appeared, whipping a hurricane right at P.J.'s water attack. The powerful hurricane was spinning so fast that it caused P.J.'s water attack to blow backwards instead of forward.  
  
"What the-?" Ruth gasped. "Hey! What's going on?"  
  
"Oh no!" Julie watched in horror as P.J.'s Arctic whirlpool attack landed on both of their beyblades, soaking them wet. At the same time, with this unexpected backfire going on, Canon had been blowing ice at what would have been Dragoon and Jaguarah. Now, since the water had soaked them instead of Dragoon and Jaguarah, Canon's ice attack had frozen both of them. Both their frozen beyblades started to wobble. Finally, they collapsed.  
  
"Alright! Tyson and Lexis win the second match!"  
  
"Yes!" Tyson and Lexis slapped high-fives. Ruth and Julie looked a bit upset at what they did.  
  
"I don't believe it!" Kenny exclaimed. "My plan actually worked!"  
  
"That means we still got one last chance!" Ray smiled.  
  
"Win this for us guys!" Saber yelled.  
  
"And this is the third session of the match! Players, are you ready?" The crowd cheered. "3 . . . . . 2 . . . . . 1 . . . . . let it rip!"  
  
"Let's go Canon!"  
  
"Finish them off, P.J."  
  
The minute the beyblades hit the ground; everyone was already summoning their bit-beasts.  
  
"Now Jaguarah!"  
  
"Now Dragoon!"  
  
"DJ Destruction!" The hurricane attack turned orange as Jaguarah camouflaged itself.  
  
"Canon attack!" Both Canon and P.J. tried to stop the hurricane, but with no success. Dragoon's hurricane attack was too strong.  
  
"Jaguarah! Jaguar paw scratch!" Lexis yelled. Jaguarah leapt out of the hurricane, hovering over P.J. just before it hammered to the floor, flipping P.J. out of the battle bowl. Dragoon lashed out and hit Canon out of the battle dish.  
  
"OH No!" Julie and Ruth both gasped.  
  
"And the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats take it! IT's a tie against both teams!" The crowd cheered even wilder.  
  
"Yes!" Max and Terri cheered.  
  
"Alright!" Kenny yelled.  
  
"We did it!" Tyson laughed, giving Lexis a hug. " We tied the game!"  
  
"Now we just need to win the sudden death match, and it'll be all over!" Saber shouted.  
  
"So, will two representatives from both teams please come out for both teams for the sudden death match?" DJ asked. The leader of the Howlers didn't look disappointed at their loss, but rather smug about it. She stood up, and walked to the dish, eying at Solo. Solo grunted, then got up as well before anyone could stop her, and walked forward. Kai walked slower, but behind Solo as he followed her.  
  
"Well, it's been a long time," the girl said.  
  
"Hello Leslie," Solo muttered.  
  
"So, you know who I am," Leslie replied.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Listen, I'm willing to make you a deal, but you will beyblade ALONE against me in this match. Got it?" Leslie glared at Kai, who glared back. Solo turned to Kai.  
  
"Listen," she said. " I have a score to settle with Leslie. Are you willing to let me battle alone?" Kai stared at her flashing black eyes.  
  
"Just don't lose your focus," he said. Solo smiled, and kissed him lightly on the lips.  
  
"Thanks pal."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Okay. But I promise you, I WILL not take it easy on you, Leslie."  
  
~ Hey everyone! Stay tuned to the next exciting chapter coming out soon! Just be patient with me! I'll update as soon as possible! Please forgive my last update delay! Hope you enjoyed that! You don't want to miss the next chapter! Review!  
  
~Zero2-the-scyther 


	20. Solo VS Leslie

One True team  
  
Once again, I apologize if I update very late! I hope you will enjoy this chapter! Read and enjoy!  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
(This chapter starts from where last chapter has stopped)  
  
"So, I want to beyblade you and you ALONE, Solo," said Leslie. "Is it a deal then? Your boyfriend will have to back down on this one."  
  
"Okay. It's a deal," Solo answered.  
  
"Um . . . . . excuse me, but I'm not sure if that's allowed-" DJ Jazzman began.  
  
"Look. This is just a match, not the national ceremony for the queen," Leslie said, glaring at DJ Jazzman. The crowd began to get restless. Wiping the sweat off his brow, DJ shrugged.  
  
"There seems to be a slight change in our plans, but Solo, representing the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats will battle against the team captain of the Howlers, Leslie!" Solo and Leslie stared at each other. Leslie had long straight black hair that was highlighted with red. She wore a black V- necked sleeveless shirt and black compact pants. Both girls looked similar in height and features.  
  
"How did Solo know who Leslie was?" Ray asked Saber.  
  
"No clue. Unless . . . . ."  
  
"Kai, did Solo mention about a person named Leslie?" Lexis asked Kai. Kai looked up in surprise.  
  
"No." Kai turned back to stare at the two girls, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. "Something's not right."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Max.  
  
"I don't know. It's just . . . . . weird." Kai crossed his arms.  
  
"Forgot about how Solo knew about Leslie for now and concentrate on the match!" Tyson interrupted.  
  
Solo stared into Leslie's black eyes. Leslie stared into Solo's black eyes. I'm sorry, she thought. But I have no choice but to do this.  
  
"Okay," Solo said. "What's the catch?"  
  
"This is NOT my decision, but here's the catch: this match determines whether or not you will return to our gang or not."  
  
"What?" Solo blurted out.  
  
"What the heck?" Tyson stood up so quickly that his cap fell off his head. "Hey that's not allowed!"  
  
"And what makes you think I will join your little gang, Leslie?" Solo glared at her. "Your gang is made up of nothing but thieves! Last time, you even made me help you as a car driver in order to rob a bank!" Leslie growled.  
  
"What? You mean Solo used to be part of the Howlers?" Terri asked.  
  
"And I thought I was the only one who stole," Saber added.  
  
"You didn't help us at all! Instead, you abandoned us you traitor! You left us all behind and aborted your part of the deal. Because of your disappearance, I had to spent three years and five months in jail! I was lucky I was younger than I am now."  
  
"Well serves you right!" Solo shouted. "You didn't have to agree to their plot and you KNOW it!"  
  
"You don't understand, do you?" Leslie snarled at her. "Ever since Mom and Dad died, I was the ONLY family member left besides you! If we hadn't agreed to the deal, we would have starved to death!" Solo gasped, eyes wide. Everyone remained silent, both the Howlers and the Bladebreakers/Wildcats.  
  
"Wait a second!" Gwen stuttered. "Are you trying to tell us that-"  
  
"Solo," Lexis interrupted. "Is related to YOU?" Surprisingly, even the Howlers seemed a bit overwhelmed and shocked at this.  
  
"That's right," Leslie answered. "Solo here is my long lost sister." Solo winced.  
  
"Whoa . . .." was all Kenny could say.  
  
"Listen," Solo said quickly. "Let's discuss this later. Now, you were saying something about a deal?"  
  
"Oh yes. You will battle this match alone. If you win, you can go back to your team. If you lose, you will have to join us."  
  
"And what makes you think I HAVE to win in order to get my freedom? I can just lose and still don't have to join your crummy gang. You're not my boss and I don't have to agree to your deal." Solo smirked and crossed her hands. "Face it, there's nothing you can say that will convince me to agree to this deal. I don't care if I lose the championships anyhow." Leslie scowled. Solo looked as if she didn't care and closed her eyes.  
  
"There's just this one little thing that will change everything." Leslie turned to her teammates and motioned to them with her hand. Wen looked at her for a few seconds, then reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper, which she then handed to Leslie. Leslie looked at the paper then, half frowning and half smiling, handed the piece of paper to Solo. Solo grabbed it from her sister's hand and after one look at the paper, trembled.  
  
"You-you-what did you do to them?" Solo stammered.  
  
"Well, let's just say that those friends of yours WERE cruising around in Russia until we decided to keep them back for safekeeping," Leslie sneered. Solo clenched her teeth. Temple throbbing, she turned around.  
  
"Kai!" Kai looked up. Solo walked up to him and handed him the same piece of paper that Leslie had gave her a few minutes ago. "They've been captured and are held hostage." Kai looked at the paper. It was a photo of the Majestics. They were all bound up with duct tape and tied together.  
  
"So, the catch is this: if you refuse to battle me or agree to the deal, your friends, the Majestics just might never make it back to Europe again." Leslie bit her lip, blinking. "I'm sorry but I have no choice."  
  
Solo hesitated, and then walked back to the battle bowl. She knew that if she didn't do something quick, the Majestics might never escape and time was running out. "Fine. I'll agree to your deal and your catch on ONE condition alone."  
  
"What?"  
  
"That win or lose, you let ALL my friends go in peace. That includes the Majestics, the Bladebreakers, and the Wildcats. Even if I lose, you MUST release the Majestics and never harm them or the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats again."  
  
"Very well." Leslie finally took out her beyblade, which was black and red, just like Solo's. The only difference was that Leslie's beyblade had more red than it had black. Solo's had more black than red. Both sisters prepared for battle.  
  
"Finally, the two ladies are ready! This is one battle only to determine who will take the championships!" DJ yelled. "SO here we go with 3 . . . . . .2 . . . . . 1 . . . . .. Let it Rip!"  
  
Both beyblades flew furiously out of their shooters and hit the dish as if they were jackhammers.  
  
"Bengalion attack!" Bengalion rushed at Leslie's beyblade.  
  
"Don't think you're going to win that easily!" Leslie shouted. Her beyblade crashed into Bengalion. The impact of those two hits forced the beyblades to fly back and hit the ground.  
  
"I'm guessing you were the person who folded those origami flowers, right?" asked Solo. "You're also the person who left those bloody notes, telling us to quit the championships, didn't you?"  
  
"What?" Rochelle exclaimed.  
  
"You left them flowers and notes?" Raven asked suspiciously.  
  
"In blood," Leslie answered.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"But why?" asked Gwen and Wen. Leslie whirled around, annoyed.  
  
"Hey! I've got my reasons to do whatever I please, so quit asking and shut the hell up!" That surprised Solo.  
  
"You mean the Howlers doesn't even know about this?" asked Tyson.  
  
"Looks like it," Kenny answered. "But the question now is why."  
  
"Look Leslie," said Solo. "Why exactly did you do this? I thought the whole team was in on this."  
  
"Well," Leslie answered. "If you beat me, I'll tell you the whole entire story. But enough talk now! Howler, reveal yourself!" There was a flash of red as an enormous monster flew above Leslie's beyblade. It looked a lot like Dragoon, except that it had the head of a phoenix, huge bat like wings on its back, scaly fins, and a long twisting tail with large fins (think Seadramon, the digimon who attacked Matt in Season 1 and caused Gabumon to digivolve and add wings to him/change the face a bit and you get Howler . . .. now how did we get into Digimon? Now back to Beyblade . . . . .). Howler let out a ferocious roar that shook the whole stadium. Solo could only gasp at it. She was completely overwhelmed by the whole thing.  
  
"Oh. . . . my. . . . gosh. . . ." Tyson stuttered.  
  
"What the heck is that thing?" asked Ray.  
  
"Dizzy, what is it?" asked Kenny.  
  
"I'm afraid it's Leslie's bit-beast, that's what," Dizzy replied.  
  
"It's gigantic!" Terri gasped.  
  
"Solo better be careful," Lexis sputtered. "Bengalion might just need more than two miracles in order to survive."  
  
"Remember my bit beast Howler, Solo?" Leslie sneered.  
  
"I. . . . uh. . . . I. . . ." Solo started.  
  
"Well, maybe this will work up your memory! Howler, Phoenix Fire Spin!" Howler flew above Bengalion and opening its mouth, let out a huge stream of spinning fire. The fire edged its way towards the beyblade. Solo suddenly seemed to be aware of the danger of losing the match. Shaking her head, Solo yelled, "Get out of the way, Bengalion!" At just the last second, Bengalion escaped the stream of fire and backed away. Everyone on the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"That was WAY too close for comfort," Saber sighed.  
  
"Come on Solo," Kai muttered under his breath.  
  
"Bengalion, Tiger Pounce Tackle!" Bengalion rose up, and lunged forward to attack Howler. The two fought in combat.  
  
"Howler, Tackle attack!" Howler launched itself against Bengalion, who fell backwards and landed on the battle bowl. Howler let out another stream of fire, which hit the left of where Bengalion had landed and formed a hole inside the battle bowl. Solo felt a drop of sweat drip down her forehead.  
  
"And it looks like Leslie just might win this match, Brad!"  
  
"I'll say that just might come true."  
  
"And it's war!" DJ screamed.  
  
"Oh no," Lexis exclaimed. "Looks like we're going to lose Solo and this whole championship too."  
  
"It just isn't fair," Saber muttered as Bengalion fell down on to the dish, Howler breathing fire everywhere, its giant wings held back. "I mean, if Leslie just wanted Solo to join their team, they didn't have to force her into this decision."  
  
"Maybe Leslie didn't have a choice," Kai spoke up.  
  
"Huh?" Everyone turned to stare at him.  
  
"Maybe someone else is forcing Leslie to make this decision," he said.  
  
"It could be those people who Leslie helped to rob the bank," Terri suggested. "Maybe they wanted revenge against Solo."  
  
"Hm. . . . or maybe its someone else."  
  
Bengalion can't keep up like this forever, Solo thought. Looks like my chances of wining have just gone from slim to none. If only there was a way to defeat Leslie. But there's no way to even get through to her as long as that blasted bit beast of hers is still here. Guess I might as well give up.  
  
Leslie looked up and stared right into Solo's dark eyes. Solo's beyblade started to wobble as Leslie's beyblade continued to knock against it.  
  
" How could you even abandon me when the police captured me?" Leslie screamed across the room.  
  
"Do you have any idea what you were doing?" Solo screamed back. "You were helping a bunch of no good gang members rob a bank!"  
  
"If I didn't do it, we would have starved!" Leslie argued. "You have no idea do you? After Mom and Dad died, thieves broke into our house and took over. If I didn't do something, we would have died!" Howler started chasing after Bengalion, who was desperately trying to get out of its way.  
  
"Also, your bit-beast was all you ever cared about! You never even showed respect to me after you got that damn bit beast of yours!" Solo shook her fists angrily.  
  
"I. . . ."  
  
"I know that back then, before you tried to rob that bank, we used to beyblade on the streets for money, two on two mostly. That was the only way to ever get money. We used to win every time. Then one day, you came home. You had somehow gotten a bit-beast and it was inside your beyblade. I didn't know how you got it, but I guessed it was either just a miracle or you had agreed to some deal. We were very happy for it and we won even more money on it. But after a month, you started to act mean to me. All you would ever worry about is that damn bit-beast of yours, Howler. You wouldn't even let me touch your beyblade, saying that I'll mess up your winning streak. Then you joined up with a gang. I couldn't believe it. You, out of all people would go join up with a gang just so you can show off your bit-beast. And you dragged me along and made me join with them as well. I just about had enough of you and your stupid gang and bit-beast. So when I was told to drive you guys back to your hideout after you robbed the bank, I decided to go against the plan. I ditched you guys at the bank instead, and drove off on my own. That was the last time I ever saw you, Leslie."  
  
Leslie stood still. She looked completely confused and taken back by the story.  
  
"I didn't care that we were winning," Solo said, looking up at her. "I didn't even care about the fact that you had a bit-beast. I only wanted my sister back. Why did you have to leave me? Why did you get a bit-beast? Why did Mom and Dad have to die?" Angry tears formed inside Solo's eyes. She swore under her breath.  
  
"I . . .. You don't understand. I didn't have a choice," Leslie stammered. "Howler . . . he . . ."  
  
"You DID have a choice. If you hadn't gotten a bit-beast, none of this would have ever happened," Solo said angrily. "And because you're always looking up to your bit-beast for help, it will be your downfall."  
  
HUH? Leslie looked startled. Solo, she thought.  
  
What do you think you're doing? a voice said in her head. Do you really think your sister is telling the truth? She's lying. Just forget about her and win this round.  
  
But I can't, Leslie thought. She was right. I DID have a choice and I never should have agreed to this deal. She doesn't know about this deal though.  
  
Hey! I did my part of the deal and you did yours. You let me powered your beyblade, which is what I wanted to do, and because of our agreement, we are invincible.  
  
Yes. . . . . we ARE invincible, but. . . . . .No! I'm not going to let you control me anymore. You're not my boss and you don't own me. I'm sick and tired of you.  
  
What?! You dare to rebel against me?  
  
Yes! Solo's right. I've been a monster to her because of you. The only reason I agreed to this was for our lives. This time you've gone too far.  
  
No! What are you doing?  
  
I'm refusing to channel my energy into that beyblade of mine. I've made my decision.  
  
NO! You will pay dearly for this, Leslie! I swear it! And I'll make sure you don't get of Russia alive!  
  
Howler growled. It fell onto the ground. Bengalion took this opportunity and stood up.  
  
"Bengalion, final attack!" Bengalion roared, then dived into the center of the dish. The dish cracked, then it split into two.  
  
"Alright! Solo's finally making her move!" Lexis exclaimed.  
  
"She's using the same technique that she used on me!" Saber cheered. "GO SOLO!"  
  
"Attack!" Solo yelled.  
  
Leslie gasped, then sighed. "Howler!"  
  
"Oh no!" Raven piped up. "We're going to lose!" The Howlers couldn't believe their eyes. Most of them were gasping in surprise.  
  
The dish cracked, sending more cracks through out the entire dish. Bengalion continued to do its damage. Finally, the dish exploded, sending bits of concrete, cement, and dust in every direction.  
  
"Aaah!" Everyone shouted and screamed as they covered their eyes with their hands. Solo looked across to Leslie solemnly. But Leslie was trembling when she looked at Solo.  
  
"Ai-ya!" DJ shouted. "We still don't know who won! We'll have to wait till the dust clears before we can see for sure." Everyone stood or sat in silence, eyes on the battle dish. Finally, the dust settled. Barely spinning was Bengalion. Howler was stuck in the center of the dish, still.  
  
"And it looks like we have a winner!" DJ announced. "Winning the first ever Teams Pairs Championships are the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats!!!!" Everyone cheered and applause sounded loudly from every direction.  
  
"I can't believe it!" Ray exclaimed.  
  
"Yes! We won!" Tyson cheered. He started slapping high-fives with everyone.  
  
"I can't believe it's finally over," Lexis sighed.  
  
"We couldn't have done it without teamwork," Max laughed.  
  
"Yeah!" Terri cheered.  
  
"We're going to celebrate with a huge party and eat till we puke!" Saber yelled.  
  
"Oh yeah!" Kenny cheered.  
  
Kai smiled to himself. But he noticed that Solo was still staring at Leslie.  
  
As Solo reached out and grabbed her beyblade, she noticed that Leslie was walking over to her.  
  
"Listen," Leslie started to say. "I'm really sorry. But there's something I've got to tell you-"  
  
A loud roar interrupted them. Leslie turned around and stared at the battle bowl.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Leslie's beyblade started to glow weirdly. Then a red bolt of light burst from it. Solo looked at her sister, puzzled.  
  
"Leslie, what's going on?"  
  
"Listen to me! You have to get out of here right now! I don't know how to explain this but, Howler has been controlling me and ordering me around ever since I got him! I rebelled against him just now, and because you defeated him, he won't let you get away! He's going to destroy you!"  
  
~~ Well , what did you think? Confusing or lame? Well, tell me about it !!! REVIEW! 


	21. Author's Note to All

Dear all, This is Zero2-the-scyther. Important notice for all my fans who want to read my fiction. Due to my busted computer, I may not be able to update until next next next week. I will be gone on a four day trip and still have to fix up this computer. So this is the reason if I'm going to update late! Sorry! I'll try to update as soon as my computer is fixed. Enjoy reading and I'm sorry! Please review! BE honest with your reviews! I want to know what you think of my story so far.  
  
~Zero2-the-scyther 


	22. Chaos plus Destruction

One True Team  
  
I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter. Since I'm starting high school (my first year) pretty soon, it might take me a bit longer to update, but I'll try to keep you updated. Please Review! Thanks to all my reviewers!  
  
"Solo listen!" Leslie snapped. "You have to get out of here right now!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Leslie turned her head, looking at her flashing beyblade for a few seconds before turning her head to Solo again. "I don't know how to explain this, but I've been controlled by Howler ever since I got him as my own bit- beast! I tried to tell you before, but Howler would have destroyed you if you knew! And now, since you have defeated him, he's going to destroy you!"  
  
"And what makes you think I'm going to believe you?" Solo argued.  
  
"You have to believe me!" Leslie said angrily. "If you don't go now, then Howler will kill you!" By now, Leslie's beyblade had shot bolts of red light all around like a fire.  
  
"Will you quit lying?" Solo yelled. "I guess you've just realized what a fool you've been and now you're trying to make up for it by pretending that you're still my sister!"  
  
"I'll explain things to you later, but you have to get out of here before Howler-" A loud roar filled the stadium as Leslie's beyblade burst into flame. Then a huge gust of wind blew so forcefully that it knocked Leslie and Solo right off their feet, sending them flying. Everyone gasped. They landed in a heap near the battle dish. Solo groaned as she rose to a sitting position, Leslie right beside her. A golden light surrounded them like a circle as Leslie's beyblade began to light up. The two sisters watched in horror as Howler rose from the beyblade and hovered just above to where they were.  
  
"OH no!" Lexis exclaimed.  
  
"We have to save them before Howler DOES anything to them!" Max said to the others.  
  
"But I don't understand why we have to save Leslie!" Tyson argued. "For all we know, she had something to do with all those accidents that's happened to us. Not to mention she tried to rob a bank and she treated Solo like dirt!"  
  
"Yeah," Ray said. "But there are still some things that we don't understand. What if Leslie WAS being controlled by this bit-beast and was actually trying to find someone to rid her of it?"  
  
"Ray's right," Kai spoke up. "Even though she HAS been wicked in the past, she deserves a second chance."  
  
"Besides, we'll only be feeling guilty if we only save Solo," Terri agreed. "Right now, the only thing we should do is save both of them and defeat Howler once and for all."  
  
"Just don't getting yourselves hurt," Saber grinned.  
  
"Let's see just how strong this barrier is first," Kai said.  
  
Kai ran towards Solo and Leslie, who were surrounded by the golden noose. But as soon as he came near them, Howler turned its head, then roared and breathed a stream of fire right at Kai.  
  
"Kai!" Solo yelled.  
  
"Watch out!" Leslie shouted.  
  
Kai barely managed to escape as the stream of fire buried itself into the ground in front of him. He fell backwards, then quickly ducked as another stream of fire hit the ground beside him.  
  
"Leave him alone, Howler!" Leslie yelled at the bit-beast.  
  
The bit-beast turned its head, glaring at her, then shifted its gaze away from Kai.  
  
"YOU!" it growled, snarling at Leslie. "You knew very well what the consequences ARE if you dare to disobey me and you just won't listen, will you?" Solo turned to look at Leslie, who turned into a shade of green.  
  
"My original deal was that you would allow me to use you as a bit-beast for my beyblade and help me win, since YOU were the one who asked to help me and win all my battles for me as a bit-beast. But that deal NEVER included the fact of me being your slave in return for your help as a bit- beast!"  
  
"SILENCE YOU!" the bit-beast roared. The crowd was now in a panicking state, and even DJ/Brad Best/AJ Topper had stopped announcing. Most of the people were running away, while some went to get security.  
  
Ray and Max ran to Kai.  
  
"Are you okay?" Max asked.  
  
"Yeah. But there's no way we can break into that barrier Howler's put up," Kai said. He groaned as he rubbed his head and stood up.  
  
"This bit-beast is too powerful!" Ray muttered. "IN fact, I'll say it's too powerful to even be controlled by a beyblader."  
  
"I'm going to go back to where the others are and ask Kenny if he has any ideas," Max yelled as he ran back to where everyone else was.  
  
"I've got an idea!" Terri snapped her fingers. "Kenny, maybe if you search through your laptop, then you can find out Howler's weakness."  
  
"I'm trying to!" Kenny answered feverishly. His fingers were flying across the keys as if he were playing the piano (Beethoven's 'Pathetique Sonata' perhaps). " I can't find anything so far, but I'll let you know as soon as anything comes up."  
  
"Excuse me." Everyone looked up. Surprisingly, it was Rochelle who was standing in front of them.  
  
"What are you doing here--" Saber started to say, but got cut off by Tyson.  
  
"What's going on? Is this part of Leslie's plan to win or what?" Tyson demanded.  
  
"That's what I was going to ask you (meaning the part about what's going on)!" Rochelle replied. "I thought that maybe Solo was trying to get revenge on Leslie or the other way around, but I guess you're just as puzzled as the rest of our team. Our entire team has no idea on what's up with Leslie."  
  
"What exactly do you mean?" asked Kenny.  
  
"Something has gone terribly wrong!" Rochelle told them. "Never before has something this weird happen before to our team."  
  
"So Leslie has never done anything like this?"  
  
"Done what?"  
  
"Get revenge on those who defeat her and kill them?"  
  
"Leslie has NEVER lost before," Rochelle explained. "It's pretty weird, but for some reason- "  
  
"Hang on," Saber interrupted. "What exactly are you doing here and why are you, or seem to be, asking for help and telling us about Leslie?"  
  
"The truth is this: we never meant to hurt anyone," Rochelle answered. "We wanted to know what was going on and so, we thought that maybe you can help clear up this mystery. I . . .. Uh . . .. I have a confession to make. I helped Leslie with all those accidents that's happened to your team."  
  
"What?" Terri piped up.  
  
"It's true." Turning her head, Rochelle was surprised to see that Gwen, Wen, Julie, and Ruth were standing behind her. They didn't seem very happy about talking to their opponents, but it didn't look like they had any other choice.  
  
"Leslie had commanded us to help her with some plan to get rid of all the other teams that were qualified in this championships, so we did. But, we didn't have to do what we did to YOUR team to all of the teams that were here," Gwen said.  
  
"Mostly because we've defeated all the teams in our block and your team defeated all the teams in your block," Wen explained.  
  
"So we figured out that your team would be the strongest and will probably be the team that will fight against us in the final round," Ruth told them.  
  
"Then we did what Leslie had ordered us to do, which was to take you guys out by a few warnings," Julie sighed. "We send you a couple of threat notes, which Leslie had written earlier, hoping you would get the message. But you became twice as determined as before to win this championship. Then we locked Lexis inside the hotel training room and threw in a smoke bomb through the air vents, along with Leslie's note. We planted that bottle of juice inside your BBA box and hoped that at least one of you would grab the bottle and end up with a stomachache. That would be you, Terri. Then, since none of you refused to give up, we were forced to frame Saber for a crime that she didn't do." Julie sighed again.  
  
"We never wanted to hurt anyone," Gwen insisted. "We didn't want to do this at all. But Leslie forced us to. Some of us even tried to protest, but then she just beat us up. We're really sorry for what we've done to your team. We thought that what we were doing would actually help our team more, and since Leslie was in charge of this whole thing, we thought that she was just doing this for the championships and for the good of our gang, but it turns out that we've been mistaken. Would you give us a second chance for us to make up for what we've done to you?" Gwen held out a hand. Terri and Lexis stared at each other puzzled while Tyson yawned loudly. Then he reached out and closed his hand around Gwen's.  
  
"Look," he said. "Let's just forget that this incident ever occurred and concentrate instead on how to rescue Leslie and Solo. There'll be plenty of time to discuss this afterwards." A few smiles lit up, and then it was replaced by serious expressions.  
  
"Right," Rochelle agreed.  
  
Meanwhile, Ray and Kai were trying out a strategy to save both Leslie and Solo.  
  
"It'll be almost impossible to even break through the barrier that's put up without being spotted by Howler," Ray said. "And we can't take too many chances of escaping from Howler. Who knows what he can do."  
  
"Then we'll have to distract the bit-beast and THEN try to get Solo and Leslie out," Kai concluded.  
  
"But how?" asked Raven, as she ran over. Saber scowled when she saw Raven glare at her. Terri nudged her in the ribs.  
  
"Sorry," Saber muttered.  
  
"In case you haven't figured it out already, we planned and framed Saber by asking, or should I say by forcing Raven to dress exactly like her, wear blue contact lenses and dye her hair chestnut brown. We found out about Saber's criminal record and your team's skills and players by hacking into the Beybladers Profiles Records," Julie explained.  
  
"Alright, cut the chatting already!" Raven cut in. "We better do something quick before those two get eaten alive."  
  
"But how?" Max asked.  
  
"Hang on," Kenny interrupted. "Maybe if you guys try to ambush Howler with your bit-beasts, then we can try to free them!"  
  
"We know but we need a distraction!" Ray and Kai exclaimed annoyingly. Kenny anime sweat-dropped.  
  
"I'll be your distraction," Raven volunteered. "It's the least I can do."  
  
"Okay, Raven," said Ray. "Just distract Howler until Kai and I have summoned our bit-beasts."  
  
"You two." Kai pointed to Rochelle and Kenny. "Go and get Mr. D. Tell him what's going on and ask him for help."  
  
"We'll be right back," Ruth told Gwen and Wen as she and Julie ran towards the doors.  
  
"Meanwhile, we'll be backing you guys up," Saber grinned, winking at Ray, who blushed slightly. "Just don't do anything stupid." Everyone else stayed close to the benches while Raven edged out slowly. At that moment, Howler was busy snarling at Leslie. Solo wasn't just sat there, motionless as she watched her sister arguing with the bit-beast.  
  
"You mark my words! I shall make you pay for your rebellion!" it shouted, the air from its breath making Leslie's hair fly back.  
  
"Hey! I'm not longer part of this deal! So you're no longer my boss!" Leslie shouted back. "I only agreed to listen and obey you on the condition that you wouldn't harm Solo and that I would use you as a bit-beast in my beyblade."  
  
Leslie gasped when Howler suddenly slithered its tail around her body and lifted her right off the ground.  
  
"Leave her alone!" Solo shouted at it. "I'm the one who defeated you, so come and - ah!" Solo dodged and covered her face as Howler suddenly blasted a jet of fire at her. The fire blast caused another hole to form in the concrete.  
  
"Keep quiet, girl, or I'll destroy you right now!" Howler warned. "Now," it said, turning to Leslie, who was struggling against Howler's snake-like tail. Howler's tail tightened around Leslie's slim body as it continued on. "Where were we? . . . ah yes: your punishment. Since you are backing out of this deal, then I guess I'll have to back out of it too. And I'll have to take any evidence and witnesses along with it, starting with you and Solo. Then the Bladebreakers and the Howlers, one by one. Oh, don't worry," Howler said, eyeing at Solo's sullen expression. "I'll make sure it'll be extremely painful." Howler lifted Leslie up to its eye level.  
  
"You. . . . you. . . . MORON!" Leslie spat out, then yelled when she started to glow all of a sudden. Howler's tail glowed slowly, and soon the glow began to spread all around its body. Gradually, Leslie became weaker and weaker as her energy drained and was absorbed into Howler's body.  
  
"Since I no longer have any use of you, then I'll guess I'll take your energy, along with your life, and use it to power my own body until I can find a new victim. So prepare to die-"  
  
"Lee-ix, leopard paw slash now!" Howler roared as a set of claws slashed its tail, loosening its grip on Leslie. The glowing light stopped and disappeared. Solo caught Leslie just before she landed on the ground, collapsing with a THUD. Howler turned its head to the direction of the attacker and growled. It was Raven and her bit-beast, Lee-ix. Raven was holding her beyblade, surface-facing Howler, while Lee-ix hovered in front of her. Howler screeched angrily and lunged at them. But at that moment, Driger and Dranzer leapt out from behind and tackled Howler to the ground.  
  
"Driger, tiger claw attack!"  
  
"Dranzer, counter attack!"  
  
"Let's go break open that barrier, now that Howler's busy!" Saber yelled as she ran forward.  
  
"Yeah!" Gwen and Wen agreed.  
  
"Some of you guys split up to help Kai and Ray," Lexis suggested.  
  
"We'll go," Terri and Max said.  
  
"Just be careful not to hurt Solo or Leslie in the process, okay?"  
  
"Right!"  
  
The girls and boys split up: Saber, Gwen, Wen, Tyson and Lexis running towards Solo and Leslie, and Max and Terri running towards Kai and Ray.  
  
Howler resisted against their attacks, but since they had surprised it, it looked like Driger and Dranzer had more of an advantage. Howler's tail whipped the ground violently, causing the concrete to crack. The area where Solo and Leslie were on was cracking increasingly faster than everywhere else.  
  
Solo looked around, then turned back to Leslie. "Leslie! Wake up!" she snapped, shaking her sister violently.  
  
Leslie opened her eyes weakly, lying on the ground. "Solo, listen. I'm really sorry about this stupid incident. I never meant to do it, but Howler got jealous of you because I was more loyal to you than it, so it threatened to kill you unless I listen to it and forget about you. I didn't have any choice, but at least one of our family members would survive."  
  
"You fool! You should have told me about it!"  
  
"Howler wouldn't let me, and told me to be mean to you."  
  
"Is that why you starting acting strangely and violently?"  
  
"Yeah. I thought that if we had a bit-beast, then maybe we could win more money and live in a better place. Guess I took the wrong path." Leslie groaned and sat up. The floor around her cracked, then suddenly collapsed. She screamed as she suddenly fell through the hole. Solo gasped in horror and reaching out, caught her sister by the arm. Rocks fell past Leslie into the hallway below them. It was the main hallway of the Russian Beyblade Stadium. People looked up and gasped at the scene. Huge amount of rocks landed onto the floor as people scrambled to get out of the way.  
  
"Don't let go!" Solo shouted. "They're going to break open the barrier and free us soon!"  
  
"I can't!" Leslie replied, sweat dripping down her face. "Howler already took half my strength and for some reason, I can feel that it's taking beyond my strength as we speak. Ah!" Solo's hand slipped upwards and closed around Leslie's wrist. "Solo, I'm really sorry about all this! Can you forgive me for what I've done?"  
  
"I forgive you," Solo answered. "Let's make a fresh start to things and forget that this ever happened before."  
  
"You have to destroy Howler completely! If it escapes, then it will find its way into someone else's beyblade and control them! Howler still has control of me though. I don't think I can hold on any longer. I don't understand, but it still has a link to me. You have to find that link to me and destroy it!"  
  
"Okay! Panthera, scythe claw attack!"  
  
"Rye, Owl Screech attack!"  
  
"Predator, Full Wing Pronto!"  
  
The barrier started to crack.  
  
"Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane attack!"  
  
"Jaguarah, Jaguar Paw Scratch!" The barrier exploded with a puff of smoke. Tyson was about to run inside when he noticed the spreading cracks.  
  
"Oh no! We can't go in there all at once! The ground might collapse under our weight, and Solo and Leslie might go down with it!"  
  
"Then we'll just get the lightest person to go in there," Saber muttered. "Okay? We'll start with 90 lbs. Who's 90 lbs?" Just then, a loud crash was heard. Turning around, they could see that Driger was flung against the walls of the battle stadium on one side while Dranzer was under one of Howler's paws. Draciel and Cougarah were furiously trying to knock Howler over but Howler was too strong. Meanwhile, Lee-ix was unconscious on the ground. Raven was trying to wake it up. Max and Terri had to back away from the bit-beast fight in order to prevent themselves from getting injured. Ray had gone over to Driger while Kai was looking around. He had spotted the dangerous situation Solo was in and was running over.  
  
"Hold on just a bit longer," Solo told Leslie.  
  
"I can't," Leslie answered weakly. "Howler's taken away my strength." Solo's hand was now grasping Leslie's palm.  
  
"Solo, hold on!" Saber was trying to move across to where they were, but had to move slowly to prevent the ground from cracking.  
  
The rest of the gang were backing away from them, fearful that even the slightest crack could send Leslie falling down to the next floor.  
  
Just then, one of Howler's fire blasts blasted the ground just in front of Saber, sending her flying backwards. She tumbled backwards. Gwen and Wen reached out and grabbed her just before the ground slipped from her feet.  
  
"We can't go through to her! We'll have to go around," Lexis said.  
  
"But that will take too long!" Tyson exclaimed.  
  
"Just a little bit longer," Solo gasped.  
  
"I'm sorry," Leslie said. Then, of all horrors, Leslie's hand slipped from Solo's grip. Solo screamed as she watched her sister plunged down to the floor below her.  
  
~Guess what everyone? We're going to get a new computer! So it will take me probably a few weeks timed to update the next chapter! Well, tell me what you think guys! Review! 


	23. The Final Blow

One True Team  
  
Hey everyone! Sorry if I update so late! I just got a new computer and had to wait for my turn to type up my story for all you readers out there! I may update late! Depends on homework load and if my brother is using the computer or not!! Enjoy and REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*  
  
*Previously. . . . . .  
  
"Just hold on a bit longer," Solo said, grasping Leslie's palm.  
  
"I'm sorry," Leslie muttered. Then, Solo's hand slipped. Screaming, Solo watched in horror as her sister plunged down twenty meters down to the floor below.  
  
"Leslie!" Gwen shouted. Wen turned pale.  
  
Solo watched her sister fall. It seemed like everything was in slow motion. Leslie fell down through the air, her hair flying, hand flailing, and her eyes filled with fear. Then, all of a sudden, there was a quick movement of something yellow, red, and green. Leslie fell right into two hands, which held her tightly. Rocks and cement crumbled down as the figure ran out of the way with Leslie. Dust filled the air. Solo had to back away from the crumbling hole, but she did see who had saved her sister. It was -  
  
"Don't worry! She's alright!"  
  
"Enrique!" Enrique looked up, Leslie in his arms.  
  
"Don't worry! I'm going to take her to see the doctor." Leslie's cheeks were getting whiter by the second. She happened to be unconscious. "Be careful! You might fall!"  
  
The ground underneath Solo cracked as she edged away from the hole. Quickly, she crawled backwards, and just as she grabbed Kai's hand, the ground collapsed. Kai pulled her out and everyone let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"Is she okay?" Wen asked.  
  
"She's okay. Enrique happened to pass by. But I think Howler still has control over her somehow. She's getting weaker and Howler is getting stronger."  
  
"It must be stealing her life away!" Tyson realized.  
  
"But how? She has no other link to it, does she?"  
  
At that moment, Howler threw Draciel off its back and was about to make an attack at Raven, whose leg was stuck in the ground through one of the larger cracks.  
  
"Salamonynon attack!" Howler jumped away as a huge yellow bit-beast pounced right at it, its long tail hitting it in the face.  
  
Raven looked up, and then noticed somebody kneeling in front of her.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"I-I can't g-get out."  
  
"Here." The boy reached down and loosened her leg from the crack. It took 20 seconds. Raven winced as she glanced down at her leg. It was all bloody and bruised. She couldn't move it without feeling any pain. Howler breathed fire all over Salamonynon, who backed away.  
  
"Fight it!" the boy yelled, then in a quieter tone, he said, "Can you walk?"  
  
Raven shook her head reluctantly.  
  
"Here. Put your arms around my neck. I'm going to piggy-back you. The ground is about to collapse." Raven quickly obeyed, and then let the red- haired-boy carry her away from the devastation.  
  
"Griffolyan! Wing Dagger!" A purple eagle-like beast soared through the air and nose dived right into Howler. Smoke and dust covered the air as Howler's long tail swished around. Tyson rubbed his eyes and grinned.  
  
"Hey guys! Look! It's Robert!" As Howler backed away with Griffolyan at its heels, everyone could see Robert walking over to them.  
  
"Robert!" Tyson yelled. "How in the world did you get here?"  
  
"We thought you got captured!" Lexis shouted.  
  
"Ruth and Julie told us everything that has happened and freed us. They weren't very happy about it and asked for a second chance." Robert pointed to the doors where he'd entered. Oliver was talking to Julie and Ruth as they were walking in through those same doors. Julie's eyes were red and teary and Ruth was rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Where's Johnny?"  
  
"He's over there," Oliver said, pointing to the red-haired boy who was carrying Raven on his back.  
  
"Oliver!" Terri exclaimed. "Thank goodness!"  
  
"We thought we'd never get you guys back alive!" Max sighed. Oliver smiled, and then frowned.  
  
"Listen," Oliver said seriously. "We have to put a stop to this monster before -" He got cut off as Jaguarah was thrown down to the ground. Howler flared up even more as it spread out its wings, growing larger by the minute.  
  
"It's getting bigger!" Saber yelled as she ran out of the way of spitting fire. Panthera and Driger tried to hold Howler back, but Howler was too big for either bit-beast to handle.  
  
"We have to do something!" Gwen and Wen yelled in unison.  
  
"But why is it getting stronger and bigger?" asked Julie.  
  
"I don't know. But let's try to summon all our bit-beasts together and attack as one!" Ray suggested.  
  
"Yeah!" Everyone summoned their bit-beasts and they lunged at Howler all at once. It was quite a fascinating sight, seeing bit-beasts of different species and sizes attack with different techniques but all with the same purpose: to destroy Howler.  
  
Howler struggled against their attacks, but for some reason still could take on a few bit-beasts at once. Then it spread out its wings, roared, then let out a huge amount of fire all at once in one big stream. Everyone watched horrifically as their bit-beasts backed away from this attack. One more direct hit and they might not survive.  
  
"Oh no!" Ruth cried. "Even with all our bit-beasts combined, Howler still can defeat us!"  
  
"It's no use!" Solo told Kai. "Howler's still getting stronger."  
  
"Hey Solo! Didn't you say that Howler still might have some kind of control over Leslie or something?" asked Tyson, who happened to overhear Solo's frustration.  
  
"Yeah, but I don't know what it is."  
  
"Maybe it's a link or something to Leslie," Ray suggested.  
  
"Of course!" Solo gasped. "The beyblade!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Now I understand why Howler asked Leslie if it (meaning Howler) could be used in a beyblade as a bit-beast. Howler has to be powered up through a BEYBLADE in order to survive and needs a person to use that same beyblade!"  
  
"Are you saying that it has control over Leslie through a beyblade and can use her as a powering plant?"  
  
"Possibly. No, not even possibly. Definitely!"  
  
"Then where's Leslie's beyblade?"  
  
"There!" Lexis pointed to a shining light amongst a huge series of broken concrete. The rocks were piled a meter high off the ground. Saber groaned.  
  
"How are we supposed to get rid of it?" asked Max. Solo looked at Kai. He stared back at her, a puzzled look on his face. Solo raised her eyebrows, and then looked at him meaningfully again. His eyes grew wide for a second, but he nodded. He bent down and kissed her on the mouth.  
  
"Be careful," he whispered. Solo nodded.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Saber said, realizing what was going on. "You don't mean you're going to-"  
  
"Distract Howler," Solo said as she ran ahead. "I'm going to destroy it, even if it means with my own life."  
  
"Solo wait!" Terri started to say, but Solo had already taken off in the direction of the beyblade.  
  
"She doesn't know dangerous this is!" Julie exclaimed.  
  
"Don't worry," Ruth said. "P.J. is standing by as a back up bit-beast."  
  
"Alright," Kai said, looking at Solo who had started to go across to the beyblade. "Time for a distraction." Taking out his beyblade, he attached it onto his shooter and launched it. "Let it rip!" The blue beyblade zoomed up out and launched itself towards Howler. Howler, who was getting Predator and Lee-ix beaten up, suddenly turned its head, its eyes fixed onto Kai's beyblade. Max, who was watching Howler's reaction to Kai's beyblade, released his own beyblade as well. Howler turned its head at the attention of the green beyblade, then slowly let go of Predator and Lee-ix and followed hesitantly, its mouth full of hot fire. Pretty soon, as Kai and Max's beyblades started moving, Howler followed them, breathing fire all over the ground. Then it lunged at them. Luckily, both beyblades went off at opposite directions while Howler crashed onto the ground.  
  
"Why is it following their beyblades?" asked Tyson.  
  
"I don't know. Max," Terri said, pulling at Max's shoulder. "How'd you get it to follow your beyblade?"  
  
"I don't know," Max confessed. "I'm just following Kai's lead."  
  
"Solo needed a distraction," Kai said roughly. "So we'll question about it later. Besides, the beyblades naturally power up our bit-beasts more when we're actually using them. I figured it might distract Howler and give our bit-beasts enough time to get their strength back."  
  
"I've never heard you explain what you're doing so clearly before," Tyson said, gaping at him. Kai grunted.  
  
"Now are you going to follow my lead or let Solo be roasted to death while you just sit there?" Everyone quickly released their beyblades.  
  
"I think Howler's trying to destroy our beyblades to prevent our bit- beasts from existing," Ray said. "That's why it's following our beyblades. Be careful."  
  
"Alright," Saber said. "Solo's entering the cracking zone of the ground."  
  
Solo inched towards Leslie's beyblade. She was only three meters away from it, but the rocks were getting rougher and the ground was started to give under her weight. Climbing over a huge boulder, Solo could see Leslie's black and red top. It was lying on one side, among a bunch of sharp jagged rocks. Come on, she thought. Almost there.  
  
"Alright! I think that's just about time for our bit-beasts to regain their strength, don't you?" Gwen shouted.  
  
"Yeah!" Tyson yelled back. "Okay then. Dragoon attack!"  
  
Howler, who had been too busy trying to destroy their beyblades, was caught off guard when Dragoon abruptly jumped on top of it. Pretty soon, Predator and Rye were having a tug-of-war-game with Howler's wings with Driger, Rye were having a tug-of-war-game with Howler's wings with Driger, Panthera, Lee-ix, and Salamonyon each slashing it in the face. Everyone else were either attacking Howler in the back or constantly firing attacks at it. However, Howler was still flaring up even more.  
  
"Just a little bit further," Solo gasped. She had climb up a ton of rocks, and was trying to reach Leslie's beyblade by leaning over the huge rock that was in her way. Her hands and arms were covered with blister and cuts she had received from climbing over the huge rocks. Reaching into her pocket for something that could possibly break the blade in half, Solo fumbled through a number of things in her pocket, and finally took out a 15 cm pocket knife. Flicking it open, she looked up at the evil bit-beast, now being pounded onto the floor again and again. All the Howlers, the Wildcats, the Bladebreakers, and the Majestics were now either standing back near the bit-beasts brawl, or standing near where she had been before. Taking a deep breath, Solo climbed in closer, then with a grunt, plunged the knife right into the centre of the black and red beyblade. There was a flashing light, as wind blew everyone's hair back. Leslie's beyblade cracked apart, but the centre bit piece didn't crumble up right away. Solo pounded the knife over and over again onto the beyblade until it was cracked into many pieces of useless metal and plastic. But the bit piece still did not break apart.  
  
"Look!" Terri pointed to Howler, who had turned bright red, causing everyone's bit-beasts to back away. Howler howled, fire bursting from it. It shook its head as it cried in pain, its tail swatting around. Sparks flew off it. With one ferocious roar, Howler turned its head and spotted Solo with the broken beyblade. Screaming, Howler lunged near the ground and flew like a ghost towards Solo.  
  
At that moment, Solo had chucked her knife away, for it was useless due to the fact that she had broken the entire tip of the blade off, and was looking for something hard to destroy the bit-piece. But she had suddenly noticed that Howler was flying towards her faster and faster. Just then, a wall of ice formed a few meters in front of her, blocking Howler. Looking down, Solo could see that P.J. had breathed an entire wall of ice, just to give her more time.  
  
"Okay." Solo took out her beyblade. "Bengalion!" Summoning her mighty bit- beast, Bengalion rose from her beyblade. Looking into her bit-beast's eyes, Solo said, "Help me out, just this once. Okay?" Bengalion looked at her, then nodded slightly. A roar broke the moment when P.J.'s ice wall started to break apart. Solo turned back into the bit-piece among the rocks and narrowed her eyes.  
  
"BENGALION, BENGAL TIGER SLASH, ATTACK!"  
  
Bengalion roared just as the ice wall broke apart. Howler rushed from the other side of the broken ice wall, its beak just about to snare the bit- piece away. But Bengalion was quicker by a mille-second. Its claws slashed the bit-piece into a million pieces and it exploded. Howler froze in mid- air. Everyone gasped. Solo remained motionless, staring at the huge bit- beast a few centimeters in front of her. Then, very slowly, small cracks formed in the bit-beast's eyes, then its head, its wings, its body, and its tail. Bolts of light shot through those cracks as the fiery phoenix began to smoke. Finally, with a death rattle, the phoenix faded away, from the top of its head to the tip of its tail.  
  
*Well, that's it for this week! I hoped u liked this chapter! Please review!! More reviews please? I want to thank you everyone who reviewed my last chapter! ^^ and in case you're wondering, this is NOT the final chapter of my story! Hoped you liked it! I'll update maybe next week or a bit later depending on homework!  
  
~Zero2-the-scyther 


	24. Last Dance

One True Team  
  
~ I just want to thank you all those who reviewed my last chapter! Anyhow, yep, this is NOT the FINAL chapter of this story, but it might be the last few chapters before this story ends. So enjoy and review!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*  
  
"This way," the nurse said as she led Solo down a hall. "Your sister is recovering." Solo quietly followed her. Everyone else (the Bladebreakers, Majestics, Wildcats, Howlers) were all waiting in the lobby room of the hospital.  
  
People passing by stared at the large crowd, noticing Tyson's loud remarks, Ruth and Julie's conversation with Oliver and Enrique, Saber's card game with Gwen, Wen, and Raven, and Kai and Johnny's sullen stares. Everyone else was sitting back, thinking about what had happened with Howler the other day.  
  
The nurse had asked Solo to go see Leslie first since she WAS her sister, and so, she followed her. The nurse opened a door, and then led her into the room. Inside was a bed with hangings, windows, and a small table next to the bed. Leslie was sitting up in bed, and had turned her head from the window when Solo had walked in with the nurse.  
  
As soon as she entered the room, Solo immediately stormed up to Leslie, and with one fast motion, hit her across the face. Leslie gasped in surprise, a mark starting to fill in her face. The nurse immediately gasped and tried to block Solo from going to Leslie.  
  
"Miss, I'm afraid you're not allowed to go hurting patients! Kindly step out or I'll call security." Solo turned to go.  
  
"No, don't worry about it," Leslie replied. "I deserved that and I don't blame her for it."  
  
"But-"  
  
"She won't do any harm. I'll just like to talk to her privately for a moment. Then you can send in my other friends."  
  
"Are you-"  
  
"Please excuse us. I'm fine." The nurse looked as if she had something else to say, but closed her mouth and left the room, closing the door behind her. The door closed with a click. For a moment, there was complete silence. Neither one said or made a sound. Finally, Solo broke the silence.  
  
"Do you have any idea that you would have been DEAD if Bengalion hadn't destroyed Howler's bit-piece?" she spat out angrily. Leslie looked blankly down at her bed sheets. When she didn't respond, Solo continued.  
  
"You've got a lot of explaining to do," she snapped as she turned around, her back facing Leslie. "Starting with how the heck you met Howler to why you wanted to kick us out of the championships." Silence again filled the room. The clock slowly ticked, the second hand ticking away the seconds as they became minutes. Finally, Leslie spoke up.  
  
"When Mom and Dad died that fateful day, everything changed completely. We were forced to abandon our house, not even a penny was left for us because their death happened so unexpectedly, and worst of all, nobody, including the orphanage, would take us in. At that time, the sport called "beyblading" had just been invented. The beyblades that they made back then wasn't as good as today's modern spinning top. But they were good enough for me. I was desperate at that time because we already had not eaten for two days. We were saving our emergency pocket money, and since you were much smaller back then, I decided to spend our emergency money on two beyblades. It was pretty stupid back then, but it seemed to be the right thing to do at that moment. Right after I bought them, the sport became more popular, and soon, kids were battling all over the streets. We practiced day and night, street-style, living off scraps of food from restaurant dumpsters, and then finally battled. We battled for money instead of for popularity and fame, since we were desperate. We would earn a couple of dollars a day before we finally mastered the sport. By then, we raised up the stakes, and won enough money to provide ourselves with a couple of meals." Leslie paused to catch her breath. Her eyes shimmered against the sunlight. Solo sighed. Both have remembered what their past was so clearly.  
  
"I still can't believe we survived on the streets like that for so long. It seemed such a long time ago," Leslie added, before continuing. "Then one day, I felt that we needed to get something more powerful, like a bit- beast. I felt that we needed it to guarantee a definite win, even though hardly anyone defeated us. I soon began to worry what would happen if someone DID defeat us. What if they took EVERYTHING from us? What if they destroyed our beyblades, the only thing at that moment which kept us alive? We wouldn't stand a chance at that rate. So I decided that we need a bit- beast. But how do you expect a 12 year old to find a bit-beast? I just kept hoping that a bit-beast would come to me one day. Then, one day, as I was going back to where we lived in the alley, I heard something. I thought it was a drunk or a cat wandering around again, so I ignored it. But as I continued to walk, I heard it again. I turned around, and found at my feet, this snake-like creature. It was very weak and wasn't very big, but it could talk. It was begging me to let it live in my beyblade. I found it rather strange for a snake like creature to ask if it could live in a spinning top, so I asked if it was a bit-beast. It replied that it will be my bit-beast if I allowed it to live in my beyblade. Foolishly, I agreed to the deal, and so, Howler entered my beyblade."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about the deal between you and Howler?"  
  
"Howler told me not to tell anyone. I was a better sister back then than I am today, and was more loyal to you. Howler, after helping me win so many battles through that year, grew stronger and more demanding. It betrayed me and it threatened to kill you unless I ditched you somehow, and forget about you. I was forced to obey it for you own life. It somehow had a link to me and I couldn't destroy it. So during those two years, I joined the roughest gang, which we later named the Howlers. I was the only one with a bit-beast at that time and we won many battles with it. You started to drift away from me at this point. You no longer smiled and stayed strangely quiet. When we decided to rob the bank, I made you our driver. I was hoping that you would leave the Howlers afterward, not wanting to be involved in stuff like this. Then Howler wouldn't kill you because you left yourself. What I didn't expect was that you would abandon me." The tone in Leslie's voice dropped and sounded harsh. Solo looked down at her feet.  
  
"I don't blame you though," Leslie mumbled. "I mean, I deserved it, and that maybe I should have explained everything to you and all-"  
  
"So did Howler make you do all the 'so-called accidents' to our team?" Solo cut in.  
  
"Yeah. Howler wanted to compete in some silly tournament and make everyone fear it. In order to win, Howler told me to get rid of the strongest teams: the Bladebreakers and the Wildcats. I didn't know you were in that team, and was forced to stop you from competing. It was until I saw you during that time Terri had got poisoned and collapsed in front of everyone publicly did I recognize you. I suddenly realized what I was up against and send threats to scare YOU off the tournament. Howler would have destroyed you if it ever knew YOU were my sister. Luckily, it didn't know who you were until we battled." Leslie sighed.  
  
"How did you and your friends ever get out of the battle dome yesterday?" Leslie asked. It had been one day since the incident had occurred. Solo looked up in surprise.  
  
"After howler was destroyed, Mr. Dickinson had a rescue crew, as well as firefighters and police, help us out. Luckily, we didn't get really badly hurt. Raven was the only one who actually got hurt among the rest of us. Her leg got pretty bruised and scarred. But the rest of us just got bruises, cuts, and yeah, that's it." Solo turned around.  
  
"Leslie," she said as she walked towards her. "Do you. . . . do you think. . . that we can start over?" Leslie nodded, then extended out a hand. Solo drew out her own hand and shook it.  
  
"I'm just sorry for all the bad things I did to you, your friends, and my friends," She sighed. "I just wish they'll accept my apologies and allow me to start over."  
  
"We did," said a voice. Turning around, Solo spotted Tyson. He and the rest of the gang had opened the door to the room and was standing in the room. Enrique walked forward and handed Leslie a bouquet of flowers, along with a card.  
  
"These are for you," he said smiling. "We all chipped in."  
  
"Thanks," Leslie replied. "I'm just so happy to realize how much you all care about me after all that's been happening."  
  
"Say," Max said. "Would you mind telling us what exactly happened yesterday and how?"  
  
"Yeah," Robert agreed. "We're all a little curious as to the real story behind this whole incident." Leslie looked at Solo.  
  
"You explain this time," she said. "I've just about lost my mind thinking about it."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * * ~ * ~ *  
  
"Wow!" Saber exclaimed. "I can't believe Robert was nice enough to invite us to this club along with the Howlers!"  
  
"I'll say," Gwen said. "Are you sure you don't mind if we stay in your hotel room until we can find one by ourselves?" The Howlers and the Wildcats were all cramped into the girls' hotel room, changing and getting ready for that night.  
  
"Of course we don't mind," Terri spoke up before Solo could roll her eyes.  
  
"Just as you don't cause chaos in the room," Lexis smiled weakly. Mats, blankets, and pillows were scattered all across the floor.  
  
"Now, what shall I wear?" Rochelle wondered out loud, looking into her small suitcase.  
  
"Is it one of those formal 'Formal' clubs or just an ordinary one where you can dress casually or a very WILD club with styles of clothes to the . . . . Uh . . . . . extreme?" Ruth asked in embarrassment.  
  
"It WON'T be a WILD club," Leslie insisted.  
  
"Just wear something . . . . nice. Casual like, but not very VERY formal," Julie recommend.  
  
"Like?" Wen and Saber asked at the same time.  
  
"A casual dress," said Julie. "Maybe something like this." She held up a light purple dress with a ribbon around the waist. The top part and the bottom edge of the dress had very pretty and small flower designs that were also purple. It reached just above the knees. Both Saber and Rochelle's eyes went wide.  
  
"OH WOW! That is so pretty!" Rochelle exclaimed excitedly.  
  
"Oh NO! I can't wear something like that!" Saber exclaimed in horror. "It won't suit me!"  
  
"Come on Saber!" Julie said. "It's just a CASUAL dress. It's not even formal!"  
  
"To me, a dress is formal enough as it is!"  
  
"Will you stop being such a tomboy for once and wear something nice?"  
  
"Are you saying my clothes suck, Solo?"  
  
"No, I'm not-"  
  
"Then I don't see YOU picking something like that!" Saber pointed to Julie's dress.  
  
Solo grunted and looked out the window. "I might not choose something as nice as that, but at least it will be a bit more formal than what I'm wearing right now."  
  
"Hmph!" Saber puffed up her cheeks, then released the air from her mouth in one quick WHOOSH!  
  
"Would you do it for Ray?" Saber's cheeks turned pink.  
  
"Well, only if Solo wears one too." Saber crossed her arms. Solo frowned.  
  
"Fine. This will be your challenge."  
  
"Well," Lexis sighed, rubbing her head. "You know Saber."  
  
"Anyhow," Raven replied. "Why don't we just dress casually and comfortably?"  
  
"Yeah. I get first dibs in the shower!" Gwen yelled.  
  
"No you don't!" Wen yelled after her. Then, as the two sisters raced for the bathroom, everyone else starting searching for stuff, yelling and talking throughout the whole time.  
  
"So what are YOU wearing, Kai?" Tyson asked.  
  
Silence was heard.  
  
"Uh. . . . Max, what are you wearing?" Tyson asked instead.  
  
"Huh? Oh, just a shirt and black pants. You don't want Terri to see how informal I am at a club and on our last night together, do you?" Max smiled as he buttoned his shirt button.  
  
"Well, at least you're dressed casually! I thought I had to wear a tux or something!" Tyson exclaimed, looking down at his white shirt, tie and black pants.  
  
"Just make sure those pants of yours are stretchable! We don't want you getting a stomachache after you finish your dinner," Ray advised. He looked at himself, dressed in a white shirt, tie and black pants. He still wore his headband, but looked a bit more mature in his clothes than usual. Kai, meanwhile, was dressed in a dark blue shirt, black pants and tie. Kenny was dressed in a white shirt with his usual green tie, and black pants.  
  
"Well," Kenny smiled. "Do you think we ought to go out and wait for the Howlers and the Wildcats?"  
  
"Yeah." The boys stepped outside of their rooms just as the telephone rang. Kenny picked it up.  
  
"Hello?" he said. "Oh hello Robert. Yes, we're ready, well at least the boys are. We're still waiting for the girls. . . . no don't worry, I'm sure Mr. Dickinson won't be concerned about us. So should we go down to the lobby once we're ready? . . . . okay. . . . . . . okay. . . thanks." Hanging up, Kenny faced the boys.  
  
"Robert says that he's on his way here." Just then, the door opened. The Wildcats and the Howlers walked into the room. All of them looked very nice and rather more formal than usual.  
  
"You all look great," Ray managed to stutter. The rest of the guys nodded.  
  
"You too!" replied the Howlers and the Wildcats.  
  
"Let's go now," Kenny smiled as he opened the door. "Ladies first."  
  
~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Wow! This is a great club!" Lexis exclaimed as she held Tyson's arm. She was dressed in a very simple dress with a ribbon around the neck collar. The dress was blue. "Thank you very much for the wonderful hair clip you gave me." Lexis' usual long hair was pulled back in place by a blue sparkly fish-shaped hair clip. Tyson just grinned when she kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Let's rock!"  
  
Tyson and Lexis went to the dance floor as the DJ spun Nelly's "Hot in Herre". Grooving among them were Ray, Saber, Gwen, Raven, Johnny, Enrique, Leslie, Kai and Solo. Wen, Kenny, Oliver, Robert, Rochelle, Max, Terri, Ruth and Julie were sitting near a table, eating and chatting politely.  
  
"I'm so happy," Saber smiled at Ray. "Even though I AM stuck in a skirt." Saber was wearing a black high-collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a black skirt. She also wore black shoes and her braid was held together with a black elastic band.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Ray grinned during 50 Cent's "In da Club". "You look terrific! I've never thought I'll see you looking so formal already!"  
  
"You'd wished!" Saber laughed.  
  
"Thanks for taking us here, Enrique," Gwen replied. She was dressed in a black shirt with sleeves up to the elbows, a leather vest over that, a black skirt, and black boots that reached up to her knees.  
  
"No prob," Enrique answered, dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and black pants and shoes. They danced for three more songs before they one by one sat down at a table. Then they ate dinner and chatted politely with each other, many people looking at them curiously. Much to say, the buffet table had to refill their food four times before Tyson could finish his dinner. Rochelle was dressed in a dark blue dress with her hair tied back. Julie wore the same purple dress she had shown to the others that day. Ruth was wearing a black long sleeved shirt and a purple skirt. Wen was wearing something somewhat similar to her sister's dress, but her vest was white and she was wearing white boots instead of black.  
  
After eating dinner, Tyson, Lexis, Max, Terri, Robert, Rochelle, Enrique and Leslie got up to dance again. Saber, Ray, Gwen, Wen, and Oliver were talking about the day Howler had been destroyed. Solo and Kai were surprisingly having a conversation, even though the two of them hardly said more than a word. Raven and Johnny were gazing into each others eyes as they talked. Ruth and Julie listened in onto the conversation Ray, Gwen, Saber, Wen, and Oliver were talking about as they ate their ice cream.  
  
Then Gwen, Raven, and Johnny got up to dance and Max and Terri sat back down.  
  
"This is a great club!" Max said enthusiastically. Terri smiled, dimples showing on her face. She had clipped her hair to one side with a simple looking purple clip that Max had given to her and was wearing a black dress with a white collar and white sleeves.  
  
"Oh Max," Terri sighed. "I can't bear to ever leave you!"  
  
"Same here!" Max agreed. "If only we didn't have to go away this soon. . . ." Terri rested her head on his shoulder as he rested his head on hers, both looking glum.  
  
"What's up with you guys?" Ray asked as he walked past them. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No. It's just that. . . ."  
  
"Just snap out of it Max," Ray said, understanding their face expressions. "You're supposed to have fun!"  
  
"Right!" Max agreed. Taking Terri's hand, he smiled. "We'll worry later. Now's time to have fun before it's all over."  
  
"I'll agree with you on this one," Terri replied, then kissed him on the lips. Ray walked off, leaving the couple behind.  
  
"Hey!" he called out to Robert. "Do you know where Mr. Dickinson is? He said he would come to the club a bit later and I need to talk to him about something important."  
  
"Oh. I saw him over there." Robert pointed across the room. Ray nodded, and then walked a bit faster.  
  
"Say, Wen?" Max called, catching her attention. "Why aren't you dancing like your sister? I thought that since you are twins, you'll enjoy doing the same things as each other." Wen looked up in surprise.  
  
"OH! Um, you see, I'm kind of different than my sister in some ways. She's more out-going than I am, and I'm kind of more on the shy side than she is. So what I'm trying to say is, um, I don't know how to dance and dancing isn't really my type." She blushed slightly.  
  
"Did you ever dance with anyone?" asked Terri.  
  
"N-no. A lot of people had asked me but I don't know how to respond. I mean, what if I made a fool of myself?"  
  
"Don't worry," Oliver said. "You won't. Shall we?" He held up a hand to Wen, who blinked and stuttered. Trembling slightly, she took hold of Oliver's hand and stood up.  
  
"Now," Oliver said as he led her away. "This is how you respond. . . . ."  
  
"That sure was nice of him," Saber grinned.  
  
"Hmm. . . . ."  
  
As the night slowly passed, Kai looked at Solo. She was dressed in a turtle necked black shirt with long sleeves and a black skirt with a thin red edge and black boots above her ankles.  
  
"Um. . . .Solo?" Solo looked up. "There's something I want you to have." Fumbling in his pocket, he took out a small black box tied together with a simple ribbon and placed it in her hands. Solo looked at it, dazed.  
  
"For me?" Kai nodded.  
  
"Open it." Solo slowly untied the ribbon, and then opened the box. Inside was a necklace with a red pendant on it. It was shaped like a firebird and looked a bit like Dranzer. Solo took it out and clasped it around her neck.  
  
"K-Kai. Thank you." She kissed him on the mouth as he kissed her back. Then she hugged him, never wanting to let him go. Kai smirked to himself. The slow song by Christina Aguilera ("Beautiful") was playing. Kai looked down at Solo, who looked up at him.  
  
"Do you want to dance?" he asked softly.  
  
"I'll be glad to," Solo said. She wrapped her arms around him as they settled on the dance floor. Among them were Johnny and Raven, Terri and Max, Tyson and Lexis (Tyson FINALLY got the point of slow-dancing this time), Enrique and Leslie, and Oliver and Wen. Meanwhile, Kenny was dancing with a girl he had met at the club and was having a great time. Gwen was dancing with another boy that had asked her and Julie, Ruth, and Rochelle were just singing to the music.  
  
"Say," Tyson said, breaking the moment. "I wonder where Ray and Saber are. They're not dancing right now."  
  
"They haven't broken up, have they?" asked Lexis desperately.  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Ray walked out to the balcony. Saber was there, leaning against the railing and looking up to the moon. Ray took a deep breath and walked up to her.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Oh hey."  
  
"Where did you go? I couldn't find you."  
  
"Oh, I was just looking at the moon." Saber sighed.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Ray. "It's not usual seeing you looking so upset. Can you tell me what's the matter?" Saber took in a deep breath, not looking at Ray as she spoke.  
  
"It's just that. . . . .that. . . . .that. . . . . . .I might never see you again. . . . . this is the last time I'll ever see you since the championships are over." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Ray wrapped his hand around her shoulder.  
  
"Saber, there's something I've been thinking about and I want to tell you. It's important."  
  
Saber turned towards him, her eyes glistening, which shocked Ray. He hadn't thought that she was THIS emotional since she was always smiling.  
  
"Saber. I just talked to Mr. Dickinson. He says that you're right now living under the BBA's facilities along with Solo, Lexis, and Terri. Well, how would you like to live with me?" Saber gaped at him, dazed.  
  
"Are you seriously being serious at this moment?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"This is for real right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Pinch me!"  
  
"SABER! I'm asking for real. Would you like to live with me?"  
  
"I. . . . .yes. I would love to, but the BBA won't let me leave until I'm 18 and until I've finished school. That won't be for another 3 years."  
  
"I'll wait."  
  
"You will?"  
  
"Yes. I give you my word."  
  
"Oh Ray." Saber hugged him tightly, nearly suffocating him. "Are you sure you've thought of this? I might be too much of a responsibility for you and your family."  
  
"No you won't."  
  
"I'm still a total tomboy."  
  
"You'll grow out of it someday, but I like you just the way you are."  
  
"I'm not exactly the smartest person-"  
  
"Saber. I love you. That's why." Ray leaned towards her and kissed her on the mouth. Saber felt tears roll down her cheeks, but didn't show any sign of it.  
  
"Let's go in. There's a slow song playing."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Well, how did you like this chapter? REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! I'm sorry I haven't updated for quite a while! 


	25. Till we meet again

One True Team  
  
~Well, I'm afraid that this is going to be the last and final chapter of ONE TRUE TEAM! Yes, I'm sorry that this story has come to an end! But I would like to thank all the reviewers who have reviewed/emailed me about this story! Including:  
  
~Shinigami29- Thank you for your support! I couldn't have finished this story without your encouragement! I like the name! :P  
  
~DunkmoonX- thank you for continually reviewing my story! I really appreciated it! Cute name!  
  
~Sofia/3sh- thank you for always telling me to keep on going! I might not have finished the story if it weren't for you!  
  
~Scarlet Witch- Thank you VERY MUCH for always reminding me to UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!! Guess that's one thing I'll have to do more often when I start my next fan fiction! THANK YOU!  
  
~N0b0dy- Your comments on my story helped me a lot, especially when it comes to the pairings/romance! Thanks!  
  
~Kimpster and da pimpster- thank you for continuing to tell me to update!  
  
~Windwalker- I want to say thanks and I really appreciated you reviewing my story! :)  
  
~Fighter-kitten- thanks for telling me to keep up the good work! Nice name too!  
  
~Nari Dragon-girl- if u hadn't told me to update sooner, I might have upset all my reviewers! What I'm saying is THANKS!!!!!  
  
~Shippo74- I'm glad u like my story! I'm enjoying your stories too! Thank you for reviewing my story!  
  
~Ice Queen/Raven- Thanks a lot for reviewing my story! I greatly appreciate it!  
  
~RidingGirl- You really do hate cliffhangers, don't you? Lol! Anyhow, thanks for reviewing!  
  
~ And if I go on with the REST of my reviewers, then you'll probably fall asleep right? So here's a big THANK YOU to ALL MY REVIEWERS for taking the time to read and review this story! All of you have truly made my first story a success! THANK YOU!! Now, here's yours truly's last chapter. . . .  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
The bus went across the bridge slowly as snow began to fall from the sky. It was 5 in the morning, and almost everyone was asleep. Kai was the only one who wasn't sleeping. He looked out the window as the bus slowly made its way on to the road. Beside him was Solo, who was sleeping, her head on his shoulder. Ray, who sat in front of them, had an arm around Saber's waist. Both of them were fast asleep. Max and Terri had lain back against their seats, eyes closed. Tyson, snoring LOUDLY, sat in the front next to Max and Terri, with Lexis' head on his shoulder while his head rested against hers. It was a miracle Lexis didn't wake up through his constant murmuring and snoring.  
  
Kai sighed.  
  
Today would be the last day the two teams will be together again. After going to the airport, they would have to separate. Despite of all they've been through, it was heartbreaking to even think of separating.  
  
He looked down at Solo. Her black and highlighted red hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her face looked calm and peaceful. The red pendant around her neck shone like fire. He turned his head to look outside the window once more before his eyes finally closed.  
  
~ *~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
They arrived at the airport in 45 minutes. It was still pretty early, and everyone was pretty sleepy. They had already checked in with the airport about their flights and had also had their luggage taken away. Now, both teams had two hours before their planes would take flight.  
  
The Howlers, as well as the Majestics, had already bid each team member goodbye. Solo had a private talk with Leslie. Leslie had discussed that she was going to stay in Russia with the rest of the Howlers' gang so they could continue on with their lives. She thought of changing their name Howler to something else, so that they wouldn't have to remember their tragic past. Solo was going to continue her life with the Wildcats, but both sisters had promised to write to each other from time to time.  
  
Everyone exchanged email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, and birthday dates in order to keep in contact.  
  
The Wildcats would continue on with their training. They were to go to England for their next training/study there until Mr. Dickinson had decided that they would go to another place. The entire Bladebreakers team was lucky enough to go to back to Japan and stay there for at least a month before returning home.  
  
"2 hours sure isn't a long time," Terri said when she noticed it was only 1hr before their flight left. They had gone to had breakfast and now, the two teams had split up. Terri and Max were sitting on a bench, looking outside the windows.  
  
Terri sighed. Max put his arm around her and pulled her closer. The hairclip on Terri's hair shone.  
  
"Say," Terri said suddenly. "I have something to give to you." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a string with a gold heart locket and placed it into his hands. Max held it up by the string, and then looked at it.  
  
"Should I open it?"  
  
"Yes, please do." Max opened the heart-shaped clasp. Inside, side by side, was a picture of him. Next to him, was a picture of Terri. Max smiled, and clasped the chain around his neck.  
  
~ () ~ () ~ () ~ () ~ ()  
  
Nearby Max and Terri was Ray and Saber. They were both listening to Saber's MD player, feet tapping to the rhythm. Ray's hand was around Saber's shoulder.  
  
"Ray, are you sure I'm not too much trouble for-"  
  
"Saber, I've made my decision and I will keep it. Don't worry," he said, smiling a bit. "Everyone's going to turn out okay." He kissed her gently on the mouth. When he released her, Saber reached into her black backpack and pulled out a small package wrapped in red paper. She thrust it into his hands before he could ask anything.  
  
"Don't open it until you get onto the plane, okay?" she told him. Ray nodded.  
  
"Thanks." With Saber's head on his shoulder and Ray's arm around her waist, the two teenagers silently listened to the soft music on the MD player, trying to treasure every second they have before they separate.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Tyson was sitting on a chair when suddenly, somebody covered his eyes.  
  
"Guess who?"  
  
"LEXIS!" Prying her hands off his eyes, Tyson laughed as Lexis sat down in front of him. Lexis looked at him, pink spots starting to form on her cheeks.  
  
"Here. This is for you." She placed a cardboard box in front of Tyson.  
  
Tyson, without waiting a second, carefully took the box and opened the lid. Tick-tocking inside the box was a small red alarm clock.  
  
"OH WOW! Thanks Lexis!" Tyson said gleefully as he gave her a hug. "Now I'll never have to wake up late again!"  
  
"Will you write to me?"  
  
"Are you kidding? Of course I will! I'll never forget you. Maybe someday, we will see each other face to face again. Maybe we can even live together forever. But that all depends on the future now."  
  
"Yeah. . ."  
  
~ ^^ ~ ^^ ~ ^^ ~ ^^ ~ ^^ ~ ^^  
  
"Flight 29480 is about to depart from Moscow to England within 30 minutes. Passengers, please start to proceed to the terminal. Flight 25344 is also about to depart from Moscow to Japan within 30 minutes. Passengers, please start to proceed to the terminal. Thank you - -"  
  
"Well, I guess this is it." Kai looked into Solo's black eyes, which stared back longingly at him. Solo had given him a framed photograph of him and her as a gift. Tears welled up in Solo's eyes. Kai tilted her chin, then kissed her lovingly just once more. Then they hugged each other tightly, wishing the moment would last just a bit longer.  
  
"I'll never forget you, Kai," Solo murmured. Kai simply nodded. Just as they released each other, the rest of the team members came towards them. The Wildcats stood on one side while the Bladebreakers stood on the other side.  
  
"Well, it sure was nice meeting all of you. We wouldn't have won the Team Pairs Championships if it weren't for your team," Tyson said cheerfully, even though he looked so close to crying.  
  
"I guess I'll have to say the same thing." Lexis extended a hand, which Tyson gladly shook.  
  
"Goodbye Max," Terri whispered, tears down her cheeks.  
  
"Don't cry, Terri," Max whispered back as they hugged.  
  
"Take care, Ray," Saber said as she quickly kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"I'll be coming back for you. Don't go doing anything ballistic," Ray joked. Saber grinned back.  
  
"Thanks for everything," Solo told Kai.  
  
"I won't forget you," Kai promised. Kenny quickly hurried over.  
  
"Say," he said as the two teams started to head to different directions. "Why don't we take a group photo? It's the least we can do to remember this moment."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Just remember to send all of us a copy, Mr. D!" Tyson yelled. Everyone laughed as they took their places.  
  
Terri quickly dried her tears as Mr. Dickinson took out a camera. Kai and Solo were standing together on the left. Next to them were Max and Terri. Beside them were Tyson and Lexis. And beside Tyson and Lexis were Ray, Saber, and Kenny. Everyone quickly smiled.  
  
"Ready? Say let it rip!"  
  
"LET IT RIP!"  
  
The flash went off and the picture was taken.  
  
And to this very day, that picture still remained clearly in the memories and hearts of the Wildcats and the Bladebreakers.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Well, said to say this, but this is the end of ONE TRUE TEAM. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter as well as the story! Thanks again *sniff sniff*! Please review! Oh, and turn to the next chapter! ( Just a little personality quiz I made up to determine which member of the Wildcats you are most like!  
  
~Zero2-the-scyther  
  
= 


	26. Which Wildcat are YOU?

Here's a little bonus I made up just as a thank you to everyone who read my story! It's a personality quiz to determine just which member of the Wildcats you are most like! Have fun with it, and if it sucks, well, too bad!  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Before you start, take out a pencil and paper and jot down your answers! That way, you would know who you are most like from the Wildcats! No peeking!  
  
You and your friends have finally had a day off from school. Together you decide with your friends to go on an outing. Your idea of a fun day with your friends would be:  
  
A- Going to the mall to hang out (look at clothes, eat ice cream, etc.)  
  
B- Going to the movies and watching the newest releases (MATRIX!).  
  
C- Going bowling (STRIKE!)  
  
D-Going to someone's house (maybe perhaps even a sleepover with movies and popcorn)  
  
Your biased music teacher has all of a sudden decided to pick on you. During your music test, he yells at you for playing the rhythm wrong when you were actually playing it correctly. You had practiced very hard for this test. You:  
  
A- Remain quiet, with angry tears in your eyes.  
  
B- At first, protest, trying not to lose your temper. Then, you clench your teeth angrily when he yells at you again and curse him over and over again in your mind.  
  
C- Give him one of your coldest glares.  
  
D- Remain quiet; pretending to accept what you did "wrong" when really, you are on the verge to throwing your instrument at him.  
  
3- If you were to pick the following movies to watch, which one would you pick?  
  
A-Rush Hour 2 (Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker)  
  
B-Terminator 2: Judgment day (Arnold Schwarzenegger)  
  
C-The Matrix (the first one) (Keanu Charles Reeves)  
  
D-Die Another Day (Pierce Brosman)  
  
3-If you were to pick another anime show to watch other than Beyblade, which anime show would it be from the list?  
  
A-Inu Yasha  
  
B- A, C and D! All of these anime shows (shown here in A, C, and D) are my type! YAY!  
  
C-Dragonball Z  
  
D-Gundam Wing  
  
4-You and your friends are in a 4 person band. The part/instrument you are most likely to choose would be:  
  
A-Keyboard or vocal  
  
B-Bass guitar or drums  
  
C-Drums  
  
D-Guitar or vocal  
  
5-If the government allowed you to use ANY TYPE of transportation on the roads no matter what, which would you choose?  
  
A-Horse-back  
  
B-Motorcycle  
  
C-Race car  
  
D-Sports car  
  
6-The last thing anyone would ever YOU would DO in the whole wide world would be:  
  
A-Being loud and obnoxious.  
  
B-Not losing your temper  
  
C-Being out-going and very social.  
  
D-Failing a test.  
  
7-One word you would describe yourself would be:  
  
A-Nice?  
  
B-Crazy!  
  
C-Quiet  
  
D-Social  
  
8-Your friends describe you as:  
  
A-Gentle  
  
B-Immature  
  
C-Serious/secretive  
  
D-Honest  
  
9-A good friend is someone who is:  
  
A-Loyal  
  
B-Understanding and accepts you as who you are  
  
C-Trustworthy and accepting  
  
D-Honest  
  
10-You are at a school dance with your friends. You are single and do not have a date. While you are sitting with your friends on the side, a guy whom you don't really like, asks you to dance. You don't really want to dance with him. What would you say?  
  
A-"I'm sorry, but I don't really want to dance with you. I'm not very comfortable with that. I hope you don't mind." ( a very honest answer)  
  
B-"Dance? Um. . . . Look, I'm not the type that likes to dance a lot. So, I'm afraid I'm going to have to back out on this one, okay?" (tries to be honest)  
  
C-"No." (very straight forward and to the point)  
  
D-"Uh. . . How about next time? I'm not in the mood right now." (tries not to disappoint the guy too much while escaping at the same time)  
  
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ This is annoying you, isn't it? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* It's annoying me too! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* You've MADE IT! 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Alright people! Thank you for taking the test! Here are your results:  
  
If you have answered the questions and your answers are mostly 'A's, then you, my friend, are most likely to be:  
  
A: TERRI*  
  
You're kind, gentle, and very loyal to your friends. You always try to sound as honest as you can while sounding positive at the same time. You are often known as a good friend and you love to watch shows that have comedy and romance at the same time. Though you can be sensitive sometimes, you can be out going at times.  
  
If your answers are mostly 'B's, then the Wildcat who matches you the most would have to be:  
  
B: SABER^^  
  
As happy-go-lucky and cheerful as you are, you would have to be the most immature/tomboy out of your group of friends. You're the type who somehow likes violence/comedy/a tint of romance/action at the same time. Though you can be obnoxious, annoying, and violent sometimes, you always somehow cheer up your friends even at the worst of times. This is probably why you're a good friend.  
  
ALRIGHT! All those who answered mostly C's would have to be:  
  
C: SOLO~  
  
You would probably be pretty darn serious, quiet, and mature. You certainly like to do things your way and you hate being pushed around. However, despite the fact that you seem to be anti-social, you're actually a nice person if people really knew you. Your only weakness is actually communicating with other people (being social).  
  
And last but not least, if your answers were mostly D's then, you are most likely to be:  
  
D: LEXIS  
  
You are probably the second most social in your group of friends. You are the best at working in groups at school, and you don't really get into too much trouble. You are also very simple, in both clothing and personality. You like to solve puzzles and you try your best to be a good person in every way. But even a person like you must have a weakness. Your weak spot is that you do not always act on people's emotions and tend to do things on your emotions. Emotions aren't really your best thing to watch out for. But it doesn't always happen.  
  
WELL, that wraps up this personality quiz. I really hoped you enjoyed it! Sorry if it wasn't good!  
  
Now, here's a favor I want reviewers to do for me.  
  
I really want to know why you like/dislike this story. So send me a review telling me why you liked/disliked this story, what could be improved, and your favorite beyblade couple in this story! Thanks! I won't mind if you tell me which character you are most like either!  
  
Well, farewell for now! I might begin a new story soon on the Majestics or something. Let me know what you think about that! Okay? Well, enjoy reading more fanfiction and until then, this Zero2-the-scyther signing off and saying, "Thanks a lot and sayonara!" ^_^ 


End file.
